Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Crossroads
by StoriesandGlories
Summary: This story examines the events of both Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth games by telling the adventures of Simon, a tamer from the west, and Keisuke, a tamer from Japan, in Tokyo as the story unfolds. Both stories are occurring in real time with each other. Rated T for swearing and mild violence. I do not own Digimon. I am not affiliated with anyone who makes the Digimon video games.
1. Simon: Vacationing in Japan

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Crossroads

Simon Chapter 1—Vacationing in Japan—

Now that I had graduated from my senior year in high school, things were getting very exciting. Now I had not only received my diploma, but there were many more exciting things that would occur much sooner than that—for my summer vacation, I was going to be vacationing in Japan! I had been studying their language for years, so I was ready to go. I had been looking forward to doing this for so long! While it would be a long three months without my family, I was still looking forward to it and looking forward to what wonderful stories I would tell them when I got back…!

I spent some time with them before I went on a chat board that I frequented later in the day. It was on a Japanese server, and I was trying to talk to some people who lived there online to get ready. There were a few users there, and I got along with them, but I was most familiar with two users—one had "Akkino" as a username, and the other's username was "Blue Box". When I got on the chat board, I signed in with my username, "HAYmaker", and got situated in the discussion.

A little while later, Akkino posted a comment that said: "Hey, have you guys heard anything new about those Digimon programs?" After that I posted this: "Digimon? What are those?" I quickly got a reply from Akkino that said: "WHAT? HAYmaker, how do you not know about Digimon? They're the talk of the town!" Another user then posted: "They're programs that hackers use. They can be used to accomplish all kinds of related tasks, whether benign or otherwise." I then posted: "Wow, that sounds crazy… so what's your interest in them then, Akkino?" Before Akkino replied though, another post came up, from a user called: "Mr. Navit". The post said: "Hello there everyone! It's good to see you all!" Blue Box then posted: "What's this? Is this that EDEN mascot? What's he doing here?"

EDEN was a cyberspace, maintained by Kamishiro Enterprises, which was based in Japan, where people could enter digital space for almost any purpose, including doing business, meeting each other or for retail… it was an amazing network.

Akkino then posted: "Hate to break it to you Mr. Navit, but this is kind of a private server." Another user then posted: "Wait… did he get in here by hacking?" "Mr. Navit then posted: "That's right! I've come in with a special message for all of you! Come to Galacta Park in Kowloon in Eden by Thursday of next week! Or I'll hack YOU! Bye-bye now!" We then saw he logged out…

Akkino then posted: "Wow, what kind of invitation was that?! Soooo… is anyone going?" Blue Box then posted: "You want to go, Akkino? He did just admit he's a hacker. What if he has real malicious intent?" Akkino then posted: "Oh don't be a scaredy-cat! We'll be okay!" Blue Box then posted: "Sounds like I can't stop you. Okay, I'll come along." Akkino then posted: "Right on! So, anyone else?" I thought about it; it would be neat to finally meet them, although this would mean adjusting my vacation plans… as I pondered it, all the other users posted one-by-one that they weren't going. Finally, I posted a reply saying: "Count me in!"

Akkino then posted: "Alright! At least HAYmaker's got some bravery! Let's meet there at 1:00 P.M.!" "Alright then." Blue Box posted. "Sure! See you at Kowloon!" I posted.

That all happened so fast. The next day I boarded a plane for Japan and eventually arrived. I was so excited! I went around, enjoying the region, but I hadn't forgotten my promise… on 11:00 on Thursday, I logged in to EDEN, and found my way to Kowloon. By that time, I got there early, so I waited for Akkino and Blue Box. The area itself was kind of a dump, unlike the rest of EDEN… all the light there had a blue shade, and the area looked like a playground that had fallen into disrepair with the passage of time.

I continued to standby, until someone came up the passage I had used; it was a teenage boy. He looked like he was in his late teens, much like me, and he was tall. He wore blue sweatpants and a zipped gray jacket and white shoes. He had short black hair too, although it was longer in the front. He then continued walking in my direction and when he saw me, he said: "Hmm… what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for my friends." I said. "Friends? What kind of friends?" The boy asked. "They're good people. One goes by Akkino, and the other goes by Blue Box." I said. The boy then said: "Ah. And that would make you HAYmaker, right?" I smiled and said: "Yup! That's my username. My real name is Simon Hayes. Good to meet you!" The boy looked a little put off before he said: "But the way you look… you're not from around here, are you?" "Nope. I'm vacationing in Japan for my summer vacation." I said. "I didn't see that coming. I was sure you'd be from here." The boy said. Then he went on: "Not that any of that matters. My username on that site is Blue Box, but my real name is Arata Sanada. It's nice to meet you, of course." "My pleasure. I said. We then shook hands and Arata said: "So what made you want to come to Japan?" "I've always been interested in its culture and a lot of my favorite video games come from Japan. Japan has some good food too! So I thought I would come and see it all up close!" I said. Arata grinned and said: "That's good. Good for you."

There was a moment of silence before Arata then said: "But if you're from the west… now I see why you weren't acquainted with Digimon. They're used in Japan, so it's only natural you wouldn't know what they were." "Yeah. So, would you mind explaining them to me, Arata?" I asked. "Well, based on what I've heard, they're not just programs… they're digital creatures. They're self-aware, but they're made of data and can't leave anywhere where data can exist, meaning they have to stay in cyberspace and can't enter our world." Arata said. "Wow…" I said.

Just then though, I heard someone say: "Oh!" and Arata and I turned to see someone coming up the trail; it was a teenage girl; she looked about the same age as Arata and I. She was a little shorter than us and wore a cyan top under a pink jacket and had a matching cyan skirt, along with black shoes and black hose. She also had hair that was a bright red color in two pigtails.

"Well, it looks like everyone's here." Arata said. "What makes you so sure I'm part of this 'everyone' you're talking about?" The girl asked. "Because we all agreed to meet here at 1:00 P.M. Isn't that right… Akkino?" I asked. The girl then smiled and said: "Yup! That's right!" Then she went on: "Sorry I doubted you. It's kind of unnerving when you're trying to meet people you know online. I'm Nokia Shiramine. Who are you?" "I'm Simon Hayes. I went by HAYmaker on the site." I said. "And I'm Arata Sanada. As you can probably guess, I was Blue Box." Arata said. "Okay! Nice to meet you both!" Nokia said.

Then she looked at me and said: "Still, I wasn't expecting someone from the west to be among us… I thought you'd be from around here." "Well I suppose I don't blame you. I just came to Japan for my summer vacation." I said. "Oh really? So you're logged in from Japan now then? That's kind of convenient." Nokia said. I nodded and then Arata said: "Well let's see… that Mr. Navit ought to be here any minute now…" And then I felt my phone vibrate! I took it out (and it seemed Nokia and Arata had the same experience, because they did the same thing) and on it, I saw Mr. Navit! He wasn't a human, but instead was a small robot with an oval-like body and a head like a cylinder on its side. He had no arms or legs. I then heard him say: "Hello everyone! I've got a special present for all you good boys and girls who showed up today! This is the power to make history, no—to change the world!" And then he vanished from the screen and it went back to the normal background I had for it, but on the screen it said: "Digimon Capture installed."

"What?! He just installed something on my phone?!" Nokia said. Then she paused before looking panicked and said: "Wait… 'Digimon Capture'?! You mean like… Digimon, Digimon?" "I think it's safe to assume they're the same kind. After all, what other kind is there?" Arata asked. "But—wait! Digimon are the tools that hackers use right? So have we… become hackers?!" Nokia asked. Arata then said: "A hacker is only worth how many times he's hacked. So tell me Nokia…" and he turned to her and she looked up as he said: "Have you ever hacked anything?" "Of course not!" Nokia said. "Then you're not a hacker. You become a hacker by hacking, and if you haven't done that, you're not one yet. It's an _option_ of course, now that you have Digimon, but it's up to you to decide if you want to pursue it." Arata said. "What are you talking about?! I don't want any part of this! I'm deleting this program right now!" Nokia said. She tried using her phone, but in a few minutes, she said: "What… wait! No way! I can't delete it?!" "Just leave it be. Who knows what'll happen if you force-delete it." Arata said.

Nokia groaned and collapsed to her knees. Arata rolled his eyes and I turned around, but then saw… a silhouette of a human being in the distance! I gasped and everyone looked up and the silhouette started to move further away! "What was that…?" Arata asked. "It wasn't Mr. Navit… was it… a ghost-like program?" I asked. Arata then said: "Don't let it get away!" And chased after it! "WHAT?! ARATA!" Nokia yelled, but Arata just kept going.

"Ugh! That is so obnoxious! Well I can't stand this! I'm out of here!" Nokia said. She then stood up and we turned around, but we saw a giant orange wall blocking the exit! "WHAT?! Where'd that come from?!" Nokia said. We walked up to it and Nokia said: "Who put it there…? So are we trapped here now?!" "It looks like it, for the time being." I said. "Ugh… this _SUCKS_!" Nokia said as she started banging the wall with her fists.

"Nokia, cut it out! This is a waste of your energy!" I said. Nokia sighed and said: "You're right…" she then looked up and said: "So how do we get out of here?" "Maybe there's a way out further in… and we may reconnect with Arata if we proceed." I said. "What?! You want to go further into hacker territory?!" Nokia said. "It's the only chance we've got. Or do you want to stay and wait for that phantom to come back?" I asked. Nokia shut her eyes and said: "Ugh… This _REALLY_ sucks!" before she opened them and said: "Well fine. Just don't go too far like Arata did, okay?" I nodded and we took off.

We went further in and saw… a bunch of rubble blocking our path, but at least there was a path to the side. Nokia and I went down the side path and we came up to a fork in the road… one lead ahead to a dead end and the other lead to a path on the right. Nokia and I then started to go down the right, but then we saw two creatures come running up!

One of them was a yellow-orange colored lizard type creature. It was very humanoid and walked on two legs and had two hands with claws. It stood upright, like a human. It looked about 2'8 tall. The other also walked on two legs, had two hands with claws and stood upright, but it had yellow flesh and white-and-blue fur over its back, arms and head. It also had a yellow horn on the top of its head. It was a little taller than the lizard-like creature, about 3 feet tall.

"Wow! What are those things?" I asked. "They're not animals that's for sure…" Nokia said. As the creatures approached us, they were looking behind each other, and as a result, they didn't know we were here! "HEY! LOOK OUT!" I yelled, but just as the creatures looked ahead, they were too late—they crashed into Nokia and me and knocked us down!

We all fell over and as the creatures looked up, the furry creature said: "Whoops! Sorry! We didn't see you there…" "That's obvious enough! What were you running from anyway?" Nokia asked. "A big Chrysalimon! You'd better high tail it out of here too, if you know what's good for you!" the lizard-like creature said. "Great. And just when the exit's blocked…" Nokia said. "Wait, what's a Chrysalimon?" I asked. The furry creature and the lizard-like creature exchanged glances before the lizard-like creature looked at us and said: "You don't know what Digimon are?" "Well, we kind of do, but we've never seen one." Nokia said. "Well that's obvious, given that you're talking to two of them!" The furry creature said.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Nokia said. I thought she was going to run away, but she actually just sat there and finally said: "So you're Digimon? You're a lot cuter than I thought you'd be…" "Yeah. You two are pretty neat." I said. The creatures smiled and the lizard-like creature said: "Gee thanks." The furry creature then said: "Aww… that's nice." I then asked: "What are your names?" "I'm Agumon." The lizard-like creature said. "I'm Gabumon." The furry creature said. "Agumon? Gabumon? Those are weird names!" Nokia said. Agumon frowned and said: "They're not weird!" "Well what're your names then?" Gabumon asked. "I'm Nokia." Nokia said. "My name is Simon." I said. "Simon? Nokia?" Agumon asked. We nodded and Agumon and Gabumon turned to each other and chuckled before Gabumon said: "You called our names weird? You're one to talk!" "What are you talking about? They're perfectly normal!" Nokia said.

"So both of your names end with 'mon'? Is that a suffix that all Digimons' names end with?" I asked. "Uh, yeah kind of." Gabumon said. "Except it's not technically a suffix, but I can see how a human would think that." Agumon said. "Come to think of it… why would a nasty creature like that Chrysalimon prey on some nice little Digimon like you?" Nokia asked. "Not all Digimon are as nice as us. There are Digimon of all kinds." Gabumon said. "Well, that's predictable enough. You could say the same of humans, after all." I said back. "You both seem okay though." Agumon said. He then went on: "Yeah. You both seem alright—even though you have weird names—but we're still no closer to escaping that Chrysalimon…" "Well, as long as we're all trying to get out of here, why don't we go together?" Nokia asked. Gabumon and Agumon exchanged glances before Gabumon said: "Well… okay!" "Yeah! I'm in!" Agumon said. "Great! Now let's go!" Nokia said. We started to go forward before Agumon said: "Whoa, whoa, are you nuts?! Don't you remember that that's where the Chrysalimon came from?"

"But the way's blocked on the other side. We'll be cornered if we go that way." I said. "Huh? Really?!" Agumon asked. "Yes. It's true—or else we would have left the same way." Nokia said. "That's too bad… I guess we'll just have to press on, fast!" Gabumon said. And then he sprinted down the corridor and we all followed.

We continued through some passageways and Agumon looked around and said: "We haven't seen him for a while… did we lose him?" "I guess we must have… somehow…" Gabumon said. "He must have taken a wrong turn and gotten lost. It pays to try!" Agumon said. We then slowed down a bit and came up to an open area. We walked on through and went up to higher ground. I saw a path further down and said: "I think I see the way ahead! We'll have to go through a winding trail on the left!" "Not bad Simon! Okay, let's adjust our route!" Nokia said.

And we all marched on down, but then that silhouette of a human appeared again! The silhouette was in close range of us and we could see its features now; it looked like a young boy, a child even. He wore a white shirt with black pants and brown shoes. He also had short black hair like Arata, although it was only a little longer in the front than it was in the back…

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Nokia screamed when she saw him. Agumon and Gabumon ran up in front of us, but then the boy spoke. He said: "Please, don't be afraid. I don't mean you any harm." Nokia and I exchanged glances and then looked back at him and he said: "I see you have Digimon on your side as well… they will be very helpful in this place, where Digimon wander." "Yeah. We that heard from them." I said. "Of course, any person in this place needs to have a partner of their own. That being said, I trust one of these belong to each of you?" The boy asked us. Nokia and I looked at Agumon and Gabumon (who looked at each other) and then Agumon and Gabumon turned to me and Agumon said: "Please don't take this the wrong way Simon, but… we feel like we connect more with Nokia." "Yeah. You're a good person too, but that's just our gut feeling." Gabumon said.

By now, Nokia calmed down and she said: "Aww, thanks guys!" and hugged Agumon and Gabumon. I felt a bit embarrassed, and the boy said: "Hmm… then he still needs a Digimon himself." He then went on: "I think I have a Digimon here that could serve as your partner until you learn the basics of being a Digimon tamer. If you will permit me to help, that is…" "Uh…" I said as I started thinking. Finally, I said: "Okay." "Great. In that case…" the boy said as he turned around and said: "Come on out!"

And then we saw a fairly tall lizard Digimon come out from over a pile of rubble. He was humanoid, walked on two legs, and had two arms with claws on the ends and also had a tail. He was colored red and had a white underbelly with a black symbol in the middle of his torso and had two flappy ears on his head that were in the shape of wings. He looked about 3'3 tall. He came up to us as the boy said: "Meet Guilmon. He can help you out for now." "Alright then. Thank you…" I said. I then turned to Guilmon and said: "Hi! My name's Simon. It's a pleasure to meet you." "Hi Simon! I'm Guilmon! What do you like to do? I like exploring!" Guilmon said. I smiled and said: "That's cool. I'm excited to do that with you!" And then the boy said: "Excellent." And he turned to face both Nokia and I and then said: "Now be sure you both pay attention to this brief overview, because this is critical information for how to add Digimon friends to your group." Nokia and I looked at him and he said: "With your devices, every time you encounter a Digimon, you 'scan' a little bit of its structural data. If you do this enough times, you will have enough scanned data to create and materialize a new Digimon of that species in cyberspace. So, if you want to make a new Digimon, you have to go out looking for Digimon and gather enough of their data to make a Digimon of their species." "That sounds pretty convenient." I said. "Exactly. So go with that Guilmon and—" the boy began, but then we heard a growl in the distance! "Great! Looks like he just caught up!" Gabumon said. We then saw a big, purple floating cocoon-shaped Digimon with red eyes and a bunch of cables coming out of its body come zooming in! "That's him alright! That's the Chrysalimon!" Agumon said. When Guilmon saw him, he grinned and said: "Alright! Bring 'em on!".

Agumon and Gabumon then came running up. The boy then said: "Hmm… Chrysalimon is a champion Digimon, stronger than a rookie, but with three rookies, you may just have a chance yet…" then he went on: "Work together and beat that creature down! Look at your devices to look up your Digimon's attacks!" "Our devices?" Nokia asked. "You mean… our phones?" I asked. "The Digimon capture program had to have been installed to an appliance you own. Whatever that was, look at it!" The boy said.

Nokia and I pulled them out and looked up to see Chrysalimon lash one of its cables at Guilmon and hit him! Guilmon got knocked back and Chrysalimon then moved in towards him! "Guilmon!" I said. I then ran after the Chrysalimon and tackled him from behind, knocking him down. Guilmon then smiled and said: "Hey thanks Simon! You're brave!" while the Chrysalimon began to thrash madly. I got up and off of Chrysalimon and Guilmon then faced the Chrysalimon's back and said: "Rock Breaker!" And smashed the Chrysalimon's head with a forceful chop of his arm! The Chrysalimon growled angrily and turned around, and then lashed its cables at Agumon and knocked him down! "Agumon?" Nokia said. Agumon got up and said: "It's okay. I can take more than that!" Guilmon then used that Rock Breaker attack and smashed Chrysalimon on the head again while Gabumon then said: "Blue Blaster!" and spat a stream of blue fire at Chrysalimon!

I quickly looked up Guilmon's attacks. It looked like all he had right now was Rock Breaker, but he would learn more later. Just then, I heard Agumon say: "Pepper Breath!" and he spat a fireball at Chrysalimon. Chrysalimon then lashed Gabumon with a cable and Gabumon recoiled but got up quickly. The battle went on like that and our group of little Digimon managed to take Chrysalimon down with our numeric advantage!

Chrysalimon roared and fell on its back on the ground, with its cables all lying in different directions. "Yeah! We did it!" Agumon said. "We sure did!" Gabumon said. And they started running around energetically. Guilmon then came up to me and said: "Thank you Simon! That was cool!" I grinned and said: "You're welcome Guilmon." Guilmon smiled and soon we heard the boy say: "Hmm…" And we all looked up at him and he went on: "It is very rare for someone to connect with a Digimon without scanning, and for your Digimon to like you so quickly too…" The boy approached me and said: "Forget what I said before. I think it would be best if you took that Guilmon as your first Digimon." "Yeah!" Guilmon and I said together. The boy smiled and said: "Just remember: with the power of Digimon comes the responsibility not to misuse it." "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to, hackers?" Nokia said.

"Thank you for all your help, but… who are you?" I asked. "Ah yes. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" The boy said. He then went on: "My name is Yuugo. I am nothing more than a phantom who walks this place." "So you really are a ghost after all… but there's still one thing I can't figure out: are you real or are you digital?" Nokia asked. "Truth be told, I am a little bit of both." Yuugo replied. Nokia and I exchanged glances and Yuugo said: "I guess I've overstayed my welcome here. I'll be off, and don't forget to build meaningful relationships with those Digimon." "Hey! Hold on!" I said. But then Yuugo walked off and vanished…

I stood there confused, but then I recovered and said: "Well anyway, now we can get back to searching for Arata. At least we both have a Digimon now." "Right. Now let's see…" Nokia said as she looked ahead. I looked with her and saw a trail leading straight ahead and she pointed to it and said: "It looks like that's the only way to go. So let's go!" I nodded and we walked around.

When we reached the pathway and went down it, we saw a person standing in the distance. Nokia and I kept going until we saw who it was: Arata! "Hey Arata!" I called. Arata turned around and said: "Oh, so I see you finally caught up." "Darn right, you insensitive jerk! How could you leave us behind like that?!" Nokia asked. "Please, I knew you could take care of yourselves—" Arata began, but when he saw Guilmon, Agumon and Gabumon, he looked startled and said: "Wait… what are those things?!"

"Oh, these are our Digimon. Mine is the red fellow, Guilmon." I said. "Hi Arata!" Guilmon said. "And mine are Agumon and Gabumon! Aren't they just darling?" Nokia asked. "So you know him, Nokia?" Agumon asked. "And why is it that you're not angry anymore? I thought you were mad at him…" Gabumon asked. Nokia laughed and Arata said: "Wow… that's kind of cool. So you must have put that Digimon capture program to some use…"

"Not exactly. We're just lucky we met them." I said. Arata grinned, but then I saw him suddenly look nervous… "What? What is it?" I asked. "Nokia, Simon… turn around!" Arata said. "Huh?" I said. I did so and I saw… an odd yellow and orange circular pattern floating in the air! "How'd that get there?" I asked. In a minute, a strange creature came out of it—it had a nautilus shell on its back and two eyes on the sides of its head, and a bunch of tentacles. It was black-and-white striped all over… "Yuck! What is that thing?!" Nokia said. "Guilmon, is that a Digimon?" I asked. Guilmon said: "Umm… I don't know? I doubt it though." I then heard Arata say: "No! Is that… that 'black shadow of EDEN' everyone's been talking about?! They say it eats your data!" "Eats your data? What does that even mean?" Nokia asked. "There's no way to prove it, but… the current speculation is if you get eaten by that thing, you'll be gone and you won't be coming out." Arata said. "What?! So it kills?!" Nokia said. The creature then approached us and I said: "Forget it! Guilmon, are you up for this?" "Yeah!" Guilmon cheered. "We will too!" Gabumon said. "That's right!" Agumon said. "I'll try to reactivate the exit portal nearby! Do whatever it takes to survive!" Arata said.

Guilmon launched the first attack when he smashed the monster on the head with his Rock Breaker, but the monster barely even reacted to being hit… Agumon and Gabumon spat their fiery attacks at it, but it didn't really react to those either… the monster then had waves of data emerge around it, but we didn't see any immediate effect…

"Agumon! Gabumon! Attack again!" Nokia said. They spat fire at the monster, but it still didn't look that hurt by them… "Guilmon, get ready to block if it attacks you!" I said. Guilmon then carefully watched the monster. The monster turned in place, like it wasn't sure who to attack, but then its eyes started to shine purple and it thrust out its tentacles at Agumon and wrapped them around him and squeezed hard before it let go and retracted them. Agumon got up and said: "Ow… he hits a lot harder than anything I've ever seen!" our Digimon then all attacked him again and after they finished, the monster thrust its tentacles out at Gabumon and did the same thing before retracting them. "Ouch…" Gabumon said. Agumon and Gabumon then attacked again while I instructed Guilmon to prepare to block again. Guilmon did so and then the monster thrust its tentacles out at Guilmon and Guilmon quickly assumed a defensive position before it did the same thing before it let go, but Guilmon had less difficulty recovering from the attack.

"This doesn't look so good…" Nokia said. I then turned to Arata and said: "Arata! How's it coming back there?!" Arata didn't respond for a second, but then he said: "There! It's been restored!" And then he turned to us and said: "Get over here! Now!" "But… what about our Digimon?" Nokia asked. "If they're as much yours as you say they are, they're saved to your phone and if you get out, they'll get out. So focus on escaping!" Arata said. And then he ran to the exit portal and vanished. Nokia then sprinted over there and so did I. Nokia got on the exit portal and I followed in suit, setting foot on the portal, but then I felt something hit my leg and I tripped! It must have been a swipe from the monster's tentacles…

"What?! Simon?!" Nokia said, but then she teleported away. She must have already initiated it before this thing tripped me… "Simon!" Guilmon said. I turned around and the monster thrust its tentacles at my face and pulled me in! It then stuck its mouth on my face and tried to smother me! I frantically hit the monster, but it didn't do anything and I ended up losing consciousness…

Eventually, I regained consciousness, looking up at the sky. What had happened…? Had I really logged out? What was all that then? And what happened to Guilmon?! I sat straight up and saw that I was in a street with a huge crowd of people assembled all around me. They just kept staring at me…

Soon I heard one say: "Whoa… that's freaky…" Another said: "What is that thing?!" I turned around looking for the monster (thinking they were referring to it) but couldn't find it anywhere. I shook my head and started to run off, but when put my leg forward, I saw the cause of the commotion: my leg was blue and looked like a wireframe. When I saw this, I immediately panicked and looked down, only to find my whole body looked that way!

No wonder they were all so freaked out… I then started to walk before I heard a shrill voice say: "Hey! What's going on here?!" And I turned around to see a police officer looking at me from across the street! She had a light blue uniform and a navy-blue skirt as well as long brown hair with some rather bad-looking bangs that were in her eyes… She then said: "Ugh… what is that disgusting thing?!" A man next to her said: "Oh thank goodness! What is that thing officer?" When I heard this, I tried to walk off hastily, but then I heard the officer say (as if she hadn't heard the civilian): "Ugh! What are you?! I'll arrest you for causing a disturbance of this magnitude!"

I didn't know what to do in the face of this misunderstanding, but then something unexpected happened: A car started speeding up to where I was and parked in between me and this loudmouthed officer! The door that was facing me was then flung open and I saw the driver: It was a young woman who had blonde hair that went down to her shoulders and wore a white shirt with a yellow cape and a black skirt with black shoes. The seat that was next to her was unoccupied and I heard her yell: "Get in!"

Now this was an awkward predicament… either go off with a stranger in a car or deal with a belligerent police officer… neither seemed like someone I wanted to get involved with to be honest, but I didn't really see as how it could get worse than staying here, so I ran up and jumped in this car before the driver went into high gear and drove off. Even inside this car, I heard the officer screaming at us until her voice became more distant…


	2. Keisuke: Nothing to lose

Keisuke Chapter 1—Nothing to lose—

Now with the digital age in full swing, this is a good time to be alive. Not just because of the improvements to our standard of living, but also because of the experiences and adventures it makes possible. In particular, the EDEN network makes meeting people easier than ever, along with sharing tales of our stories and experiences in life to further enrich our lives. In my case, my stories weren't very exciting—when I was little, I always wanted to be one of those heroes that saved people and was revered. As I grew older though, I eventually came to realize that I wasn't a hero-type at all. I was left playing supporting roles from the sidelines, contributing to the greater good without being in the action. I came to accept this, but I still dream of the day I may become a hero.

And like so many before me, villains and evil-doers bother me. Thankfully, I never got into a situation that inspired true hate for them… that is, until three months ago…

I became aware of the existence of the EDEN network in my freshman year of high school, and I was utterly inspired by it. A place where you can physically exist in cyberspace, meeting people from anywhere, make friends and reach out to anyone… and faster than ever before. I really got into socializing in EDEN, as well as outside of it, and I went to and from it often. That went on until my senior year of high school, but then… my EDEN account got hacked… and I lost control of it. Part of the account is your 'avatar', which is the projected image of you that everyone sees in cyber space. Naturally this means that if someone can take control of it, they can do anything they want with it, including framing you on a grand scale …

The individual who stole my account hadn't done anything with it yet, but I didn't expect that to last long. For me, it wasn't a matter of if my account would be misused—it was a matter of when. I couldn't relax thinking of whatever was in store for it (and me), if I would be framed for something and I ended up losing sleep over it for a while… after a few weeks of that… it was then that I resolved to take my account back!

I researched leads on the hacker who stole my account but couldn't find much… as ironic as it was, my first lead actually came from a stranger who contacted me. It came in the form of a phone call from a user in EDEN… it said the user's name was 'K'… This K told me that he was an administrator in EDEN who had discovered my predicament and that he felt bad for me. He said that he knew the name of the hacker who had stolen my account… his name was Youji Shiga. He said that he would work to bring Youji to justice and wished me well before the conversation ended.

I wasn't sure what to make of this, but thinking it could be true, I wanted to hunt down Youji myself and make him pay! I didn't want to leave it to Kamishiro! And so, I prepared to gather information on Youji. But before I left, I had one loose end to tie up… I wanted to tell Yu, my best friend. Yu and I had been friends since we were kids and had stayed in contact. He had always stood by me (and I had always stood by him), no matter what ever happened. I didn't know what was going to happen… so I wanted to tell Yu, just in case.

That day, Yu and I agreed to meet in his favorite cafe in Nakano, known as K-Cafe. I entered the facility where it was—Nakano Broadway—and went up to the floor where it was. I entered it but didn't find Yu there. Looks like I've arrived too early again… I then sat down at a table and a waitress soon approached me and said: "Welcome back Keisuke. Are you waiting on Yu today?" I recognized her from our previous visits. It was nice that she remembered my name. "Yes I am. He'll be here soon." I said. The waitress then said: "Alright then! Let me know if I can help before he arrives." "Sure thing." I said back.

She then went back and I sat for a bit before someone else entered K-Cafe. I looked up and saw: it was Yu! He was wearing his white jacket and had white pants on to match. He was wearing a black shirt underneath his jacket and had white shoes. He had short white hair in a bowl cut too. Yu then looked around and I waved and he said: "Ah, there you are!" he then approached my table and sat down before he said: "Hey Keisuke. Looks like you got here ahead of schedule!" I grinned and said: "Yeah, looks like I did. Things have a habit of working out that way for me."

Yu grinned before he said: "So? What was it you wanted to tell me?" "I'll get straight to the point. That hacker who stole my account—I'm going after him. I'm going into EDEN with a temporary account." Yu looked shocked before he said: "Wait—hold on! You're going into EDEN to get your account? And you're going to be pursuing the hacker? Do you know how dangerous that is?!" "I'm well aware of it. But I'm not going to let him misuse my account! I'm getting it back!" I said. "What are you expecting to find, Keisuke? Do you think this hacker is going to be hanging around where law abiding people are? Because he's probably going to be in hacker territory." Yu said. "I expected as much." I said back.

"And you plan on following him there?!" Yu said. I nodded before he said: "Keisuke…" and then he looked frustrated before he said: "Where's the fire?! You could just let Kamishiro know and hunt him down, but for you to get involved in something so dangerous…! What in the world justifies this risk you're taking?!" I then looked down as I said: "Yu… you've always been such a faithful friend, and I do appreciate your kindness, especially at a time like this…" and then I looked up before I went on: "But I won't be able to relax until this is resolved. And I'd rather get it done myself than relying on someone from Kamishiro."

Yu then looked discouraged as he said: "Yeesh… I guess I can't stop you then…" but then he grinned and went on: "…But as long as you're going to be taking such huge risks, let me come with you, okay?" I was very surprised when I heard this—I had reason to go into hacker territory, but for Yu to want to tag along, without having any reason to…! "Yu?" I said. "There's a facility called the 'Digimarket' that deals with hackers. It's basically on the dark web… but that makes it that much more likely that the people there will know about the account raids, right? That kind of a place's customer base would be just those kinds of people! It's perfect!" Yu said.

I found myself grinning as I said: "That's actually a fair point. People who might have been involved could very well be there." "Exactly! So how about we go there this Saturday at 1:00 in the afternoon?" Yu said. "Sure. I'll see you then Yu." I said. "Great! This'll be exciting…! Woo-hoo!" Yu said. He then calmed down and went on: "Sorry, I'm just so excited! It'll be a real adventure! And hey, I'll even send you the URL to it when I find it again. I found it offhand when I was researching the other day, but once I get it, I'll E-mail it to you." I smiled and said: "Thanks Yu."

We then caught up a little before we left. Yu… you're so kind to want to get involved in this solely for my sake… but that's precisely why I can't let you. You're an outsider who shouldn't have to be dragged into this… that's why I planned to go to the Digimarket at 11:00 in the morning, gather the information I was after, be off, and send Yu a text a little before 1:00 to let him know that he wouldn't need to go any further. I knew he would be mad at me… but there were more important things at stake.

When Saturday came, I created my temporary account that morning and logged in at 11:00. I used the URL Yu sent me a couple of days before and arrived in the Digimarket. It was an open, circular area with a few people around. There were also blue cages set out with all sorts of unusual creatures inside… they looked like animals, but something was a little off…

I then went around, asking the people here about the account raids, trying to see if I could get any information about Youji. Nobody seemed to know anything at first… but a girl I asked said that the salesman who worked here may know him. She said he was in front of the cages… I then proceeded towards them and saw a guy in between the cages. As I approached, he eventually said: "Hey you there! The newbie!" "Yeah?" I said, trying to act more like someone who would normally be here. "Looks like it's your first time here, isn't it? Did you come to buy a Digimon program?" "Huh? No, I actually came because I wanted to ask about something." I said. "You want to 'ask about something'? What?" The salesman said.

"I've heard of a hacker named Youji Shiga. Do you know him? I really respect him and wanted to see if he needed help." I said. "Maybe. But I'm not a broker who deals in information; I deal in Digimon. That being said, money talks in this business and I'm not really hearing much now… but if you buy something, I might understand you a little better." The salesman said. "And when you say Digimon, you're referring to…?" I said before the salesman looked surprised and said: "Jeez, making me explain from the very beginning… you _are_ new at this!" before he went on: "Well fine. You see these critters in the cages behind me?" "Yes." I said. "Those are Digimon. They're programs that hackers use nowadays to conduct hacking. People used to use older methods back then, but Digimon are all the rage now… because they're so much more effective!" the salesman said.

He then went on: "So what's your price range? Surely you must see how you'd need one of these anyway, yeah?" "400 yen." I said back. The salesman then scoffed and said: "You makin' fun of me, kid? You can't afford any of these Digimon with that kind of cash!" I then turned to the other cage and saw a Digimon inside… it was looking down and looked miserable… it was a humanoid creature that had two arms and stood upright, but she wore a pale pink dress on her body, so I couldn't see her legs… She had a yellow crescent moon on the front of her dress and x-shaped pink ribbons that were connected to a silver medal with a white moon against a dark gray backdrop on her chest. She had four big ears, two were on the side of her head and were larger and floppy while two smaller ones were on the top, and she had red eyes with a curved line of skin protruding out of her forehead. She looked 2 feet tall.

"What about her?" I asked. "Oh that? That's 'scrap'. Not for sale. It's a Digimon that nobody wants, so it's currently scheduled to be deleted in a few days—" the salesman began, but then he said: "…Actually, you know what? I've changed my mind. It's within your price range after all. So, you gonna buy it or what?"

She was going to be deleted…? No wonder she looks so melancholy… "Yes I am." I said back. "Alright then. That's a Lunamon, just so you know. Let me get her out of there…" The salesman said. There was a pause before the Lunamon was teleported out! She then ran up to me as the salesman said: "Now it's time for money to exchange hands." "You don't have to tell me twice. Here…" I said as I paid him the 400 yen.

When Lunamon arrived, she hugged my leg and said: "You saved me! Thank you!" I then knelt down next to her (and she let go) and smiled as I said: "Anytime." And stroked her on the head. I then heard the salesman say: "Hey, hey, you're pretty different than the average customer, aren't ya?" I then looked up before he went on: "Well that's fine. You paid in full after all. That scrap may not be very strong, but it'll be enough for you to scan some Digimon with your Digimon capture program to convert into allies." "Scan?" I said.

"Yup. See, whenever you encounter a Digimon, your device will scan some of its data and accumulate it. Once you've accumulated enough, you can materialize a new Digimon of that species in cyberspace. So, if you want to make a new Digimon, you have to go out looking for Digimon and gather enough of their data to make a Digimon of their species." The salesman said. I wasn't sure what this program he was talking about was… but I figured it would be better than to make him any more put off than he was.

He then said: "Now then, you'd best get that Lunamon into your device. Then I'll tell you what I know." I wasn't sure how to respond to this… I was so close, but he was demanding I do something I couldn't do first… "Hey? Did you hear me kid?" The salesman said. "I can't…" I said. "Eh? Why?" The salesman said. "I don't have a Digimon capture program." I said. "WHAT?! You don't have one? You mean I just got conned by a kid who didn't… who didn't even…!" The salesman said and I said: "Why is this such a big deal? You never even asked."

The salesman looked mad and said: "Grr! You think this is a joke, you punk? You sure made a fool out of me!" and then he took out his phone and started using it… but then two Digimon appeared behind him!

One was a black demon-looking Digimon that walked on two legs, had two long arms and two tattered wings and two horns that stuck out horizontally quite a ways out of its head and then pointed up. It had a red bat pattern in the middle of its torso. It looked 6 feet tall. The other was a giant dinosaur Digimon, with orange skin and cyan stripes on its back. It had two legs, two tiny arms with claws at the end (much like a T-Rex) and a big head with an odd brown shell that had two horns and a tusk over its nose. It had two eyes and a mouth too. It looked about 7'10 tall.

The salesman then said: "Devimon! Get 'em!" And then the demon-like Digimon came up to me and drew his arm back, but then I heard Lunamon say: "Tearing shot!" and a watery bubble flew by me and hit Devimon in the face! Devimon grimaced from the water, but barely looked hurt in any way… The salesman then grunted and said: "So she's standing up for you too, huh? Well it doesn't matter! She's history!" then he went on: "Devimon! Use destruction cannon!" and the black demon-like Digimon said: "Destruction cannon!" and put his hands together with a black blob forming between them before I heard another voice say: "Desolation claw!" and I saw a beam of cyan energy crash into Devimon! "Ahh!" Devimon said as he fell on his back. He couldn't get up either! "What the…?! What was that?" The salesman said.

I turned my head to see a tall man with an impressive dragon Digimon come walking up to us. The man wore a pale green colored tank top with beige pants that were crops and had a blue jacket tied around his waist. He had beige sandals and short white hair. The dragon Digimon walked on two legs, had black skin with a gray underbelly, two arms, four garnet-colored wings and a silver mask over its eyes. It looked 7'2 tall.

The man then said: "Hey, not a very decent tamer, are you? It doesn't take any talent to bully a weaker tamer." The salesman then looked furious before he said: "Who do you think you are? This kid was trying to make a joke out of my generosity!" "Fool. Where's your pride as a hacker? It seems very easily harmed if something as simple as what he did can get under your skin so easily." the man said. "Rrrgh! Shut up!" the salesman said. The man shook his head before he turned to me and said: "Let's take him down. I'll help you." "Thank you!" I said before turned to Lunamon and said: "Lunamon, try attacking the dinosaur with that attack you used before!" and Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and she made a drop of water slide down the protruding arc of skin on her forehead before it grew in size at the tip and she fired it at the dinosaur Digimon. I wasn't sure how this would work after seeing how little it did to the Devimon… but surprisingly, the dinosaur Digimon yelled when the bubble crashed into him and knocked him down!

The tamer then said: "Greymon, hit them with meteor fall!" and the dinosaur Digimon said: "Meteor fall!" and he made a red-hot rock fall from the sky! It crashed on Lunamon and the man's dragon Digimon moments later. Amazingly enough, neither Lunamon nor the man's dragon Digimon had any trouble recovering from it. "Cyberdramon, attack Greymon." The man said. Cyberdramon then swiped at Greymon with his claws. I then said: "Lunamon, finish him off!" and Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and blasted Greymon with another watery bubble! After that, Greymon fell on his back and wouldn't get up! We did it!

The salesman then looked furious and turned to the man and said: "Why you little, meddling…!" and then the man said: "Shut up. It wasn't a fair fight before, so I merely evened up the numbers, and you lost. You shouldn't complain. Remember: what the winner says, goes. That's the way it works in cyberspace." Ryuji said. "Tch… guess I can't argue with that…" the salesman said. The man then said: "And there was something I wanted you to do for me too; I was looking for the whereabouts of Youji Shiga. Seems you know him too."

"Alright, fine. Shiga is a customer here. He was recently spotted in Kowloon." The salesman said. "Uh-huh. Where is he now?" the man asked. "…I can't help you with that. It's against company policy." The salesman said. "Refuse me, and your Digimon won't be the only ones who suffer my wrath." The man said. "Augh! Alright! Alright!" The salesman said. "That's better. Now I'll ask again: where is Shiga now?" the man said. "The last I heard, he was headed towards Under Kowloon level 1." The salesman said. "Excellent. I appreciate your cooperation. Now then, I'll be off." The man said. He then turned around and put one of his hands on my shoulder and said: "Come along." And I did so, with Lunamon closely following.

We went far back into the area and the man said: "Your Digimon wasn't bad, but the way you were ordering… that was your first battle, wasn't it?" "Yes…" I said back. The man paused before he said: "Even so, you did a good job for a first try." He then went on: "But it seems you were after Shiga as well, weren't you? I can't help but wonder: why was that?"

I then explained to him that I came here looking for information on Youji Shiga, because I had reason to believe he stole my EDEN account. When I was done, the man closed his eyes and said: "Hmm… so you came here hoping to get information on Shiga, chase him down and get your account back somehow…" the man then opened his eyes and said: "I want to say that's courageous of you, but really it's just reckless. On the verge of being stupid, even. You intended to charge into hacker territory without a plan, or Digimon to protect you?" "Yes…" I said back.

The man shook his head before he said: "Well, now you've seen what the reality of a hacker is like. So tell me: Do you intend to proceed with this path, despite the dangers that are here?" "Of course I will! I didn't come this far to give up now!" I said. "So you say… but remember: even if you're using the power of a hacker to fight a hacker, you're still a hacker, and that makes you no different than the one who took your account. All hackers are the same beast in the end. If you're going to back out, you should do it now." the man said. "I'm not sure I agree with what you're saying… some hackers are criminals and troublemakers to be sure, but others who have those talents create defenses against hacking and keep others safe. But even if what you say is true, it doesn't change anything; I'm done living in the fear this hacker has created for me from stealing my avatar! If Someone wants to label me that way, then so be it!" I said.

The man then closed his eyes and said: "Hmm… you are one to take chances in bold and crazy ways…" before he opened them and said: "But I can respect that… alright. Let me be the one to start you on this path. Do you have an electronic device that can store data?" "Yes, I have my phone." I said. "Take it out." The man said. "Why?" I asked. "You'll need a Digimon capture program to get anywhere here. And I can give you one." The man said. I then took out my phone (and then he took out his phone) before he used it for a bit and then pointed it at mine. A second later, I felt my phone vibrate and I looked at it. On the screen, it said: 'Digimon capture installed'.

"Whoa that was fast…" I said. "Yes. But with a Digimon capture program, you can scan and store Digimon in your phone now. It has become a tool you'll rely on time and time again." The man said. "That's great! Thanks!" I said. "Don't get too excited yet—you don't even know what you're up against. But I might be able to help with that too." The man said. "Hmm?" I said.

"I'm a senior hacker in a team called 'Hudie'. We take on cases from another hacker team seeking to protect EDEN. In that sense, we are like mercenaries working for the good of EDEN." The man said. "And you'll let me join?" I said. "Not yet—I haven't even decided if you're someone I want to work with yet. But how about this: Since we both want the same thing, I'll let you come with me when I look for Shiga in Under Kowloon. Based on how you conduct yourself and the result of the mission, I'll decide if I want you in Hudie. This will be a test to see if you're the kind of person that belongs in Hudie." The man said. "Great! Of course, I accept! Thank you!" I said. "Don't thank me—I haven't done anything yet. Nonetheless, as long as we're going to be going together, come with me—I'll get you to Under Kowloon." The man said. Lunamon then came with me as I went with the man and the man turned to me before he took out his phone and said: "Wait just a minute—I'll get you the URL to Under Kowloon. Then you can follow me there." I waited for a moment and then felt my phone vibrate. I looked at it and saw the man had sent me the URL. The man then nodded and used a terminal nearby to go to Under Kowloon.

After the man went in, I followed in suit. When I arrived, I saw it was an underground passageway made of blue blocks. Light was streaming down from above from cracks in the ceiling. It was darker in here, but I guess that fit the bill for hacker territory…


	3. Simon: The cyber sleuth

Simon Chapter 2—The cyber sleuth—

I caught my breath as the driver said: "You certainly are a curiosity… you're obviously aware of what's going on around you, but can you speak? Can you hear my voice?" I responded: "Yes, thank you. I appreciate your help in that situation. Who are you anyway?" The driver gave a sigh of relief and said: "That's good. I wasn't sure what would happen if you weren't human…" then she went on: "But to answer your question, my name is Kyoko Kuremi. I'm a detective at Nakano." "A detective?" I echoed. "Yes. Investigating the unfamiliar is something I do every day. And you are no exception—I just wanted to learn more about you, since you're so… unique, compared to most people. It would be a waste not to investigate such interesting phenomena." Kyoko replied.

I sighed and said: "Okay... that's fair enough. So where are we going?" "Back to my office in Nakano. It'll be a while yet before we arrive, so if there's anything I can help with, let me know. I'll help out the best I can." Kyoko replied. "Thank you. In that case, I did have some concerns I was hoping to address." I said. "Do tell." Kyoko said. "Tell me—was there a teenage girl or a teenage boy around me in that area? The girl has red hair and wears cyan and pink clothing, the boy has short black hair and wears gray and blue clothing…" I said. "No. I didn't see anyone else like that in the area." Kyoko responded. "Oh… I see." I said. "Are they your friends?" Kyoko asked. "Yes. They were in the same area as me before I wound up there." I said. "I see. So you're worried about them… but right now, you should be most concerned about yourself, especially in the condition you're in." Kyoko said.

"Well was there a big lizard-type creature there? A red, bipedal lizard organism that spoke?" I asked. "I… have never seen, nor even heard of a creature like that." Kyoko responded. "Oh… alright." I said. There was a pause before Kyoko said: "Are you alright? You sound—" but then I said: "Yes! I'm fine!" Then I went on: "Just forget what I said about that. But if I could ask one more thing—where are we?" "We are in Shinjuku." Kyoko replied. Then she asked: "So were you there for long?" "No. Just ever since I was in that street…" I said. "Hmm… So where were you before then?" Kyoko asked. "I was in EDEN. I met my friends there." I replied. "So you were in the EDEN network… interesting." Kyoko replied. She then went on: "Would you mind telling me more about what happened there? I might be able to shed some light on this, depending on what it was that happened."

I then told Kyoko about what happened for a while. When I finished, she said: "So those 'black shadows of EDEN' really do exist…" but then I felt the car stop and I looked up to see we were in a parking garage. Kyoko then said: "Well, we've just arrived at my office in Nakano. The facility's name is 'Nakano Broadway'. So let's go—I'll show you to my office and we can discuss the rest there."

Kyoko then got out of the car and I followed in suit. She led me through the giant building (and I got a lot of uncomfortable looks from people along the way) until she let me into her office; it was a wide room with a desk with a computer on it, various shelves, a whiteboard, two couches that were directly across from each other and a radio. Kyoko then sat on one of the couches and she said: "Have a seat on the other couch so we can get started."

I did so and then Kyoko said: "Now getting down to business, I was hoping to investigate the nature of what caused this phenomenon to happen to you. It would be quite a discovery and may even be beneficial to you, wouldn't you say?" "Yes, I'd say so. So why are you so fascinated with my predicament anyway? Are you a detective who specializes in cases involving data or something?" I asked. "That's right. I'm technically a cyber sleuth. I investigate incidents related to cyber-crime and related phenomena." Kyoko said. "Wow, that's neat! That's especially important in this day and age." I said. "Indeed, it is. With the digital age in full swing, there is plenty of profit to be made in this business. But back on track, given your irregular form, it will be important to restore your body to its normal state after we understand this problem. And to do that, I was hoping to try to assess just how human you are." Kyoko said. "Huh?" I said. "You have the body shape of a human, you have a human voice, but you appear more data than flesh, so I want to see just how much of each you are. Is that okay?" Kyoko asked. "How are you planning on doing so?" I asked. "Just by doing a few simple checks to see if you have human features, like taking your pulse and such." Kyoko said.

"Alright, that sounds fine…" I said. "Alright. First, give me your wrist." Kyoko said. I held it out for her and she took it and paused for a bit before she let go and said: "Hmm… how unusual…" "What do you mean?" I asked. "I was checking for your pulse, but I didn't feel one. Well, let's keep looking. Would you let me feel your heartbeat?" Kyoko asked. "Sure." I said. Kyoko put her hand on my chest and waited a bit before she said: "No… nothing there either." "Wh-what?!" I asked. "Don't panic, it obviously doesn't mean that you're dead. Now turn your head away and try to cough, will you?" Kyoko said. I did so, coughed and then turned back to Kyoko. "Okay, so you've still got your wind, I see. Now one more thing…" She said as she picked up a trash can and said: "Try to spit in this." I did so, but nothing came out… Kyoko then said: "Hmm… interesting. Your lips can form the shape that any person's does when they spit, but nothing came out of your mouth…"

She then took the trash can back and said: "The conclusion I can draw is that you are almost completely made of data. You have some human features, like breath and speech, but you are almost a digital entity in the shape of a person. Yet you also adhere to physical laws, suggesting you're a bit human, but mostly digital." "This is creepy… so am I stuck like this?" I asked.

"I cannot completely answer that question, but for now I do think it's possible to make you more like a human. The idea would be to recover the data your body had when you entered EDEN." Kyoko said. "How? If my friend was right about that 'black shadow' monster, it should be gone for good, right?" I asked. "I don't think so. It must still be out there somewhere. Besides, are you happy believing that?" Kyoko asked. "Of course not! Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy to check if there's some way to make what you say is possible happen." I said. "Then it's decided! Now all we need is a way to get you back into EDEN again…" Kyoko said. She then went on: "Well, first thing's first, why don't we exchange phone numbers for when the time comes when your work takes you outside of this office." "Okay, sure." I said. Kyoko and I exchanged numbers and then she went on: "There's a terminal on the 4th floor that has an internet connection for public use, so I guess that's our most obvious choice…" But as she was talking, I looked over and I saw blue waves around the radio and said: "Whoa! What's going on with that thing?!" "Hmm?" Kyoko said. She turned towards me and said: "What are you talking about?" "You… you can't see it?" I asked. "See what?" Kyoko asked. "Those blue waves coming from the radio!" I replied.

Kyoko looked at it and just as quickly said: "No. It looks perfectly normal to me… perhaps this is some special power you have from being made so digital…" I then stood up and walked over to it. When I was in front of it, I felt energy coming from it… "I suppose—from being made so digital—you may have the power to sense the presence of transmitted data." Kyoko said. Transmitted data? Then could that mean…? "We might not need to go to the 4th floor after all." I said. "Hm?" Kyoko said. "Let me try using this…" I said. I touched the radio and then something odd happened: I got sucked in!

In a second, I saw I was in the middle of a purple-and-red space with lots of light blue lights flying by me. It looked like an interconnected passageway within… I then saw something surprising happen: Guilmon appeared before me! "Guilmon!" I said. His head shot up and he turned around and said: "Simon! Thank goodness you're—" and when he saw me, he said: "Wah!" He looked dumbfounded for a moment and said: "What happened? Your skin's gone! Did the monster do that?" Guilmon then cheered up though and said: "But I'm just so glad you're safe! I couldn't get my mind off of worrying." I walked up to Guilmon and hugged him and said: "That's nice. I've been worried about you too. What happened after that thing started smothering me?"

"He just kept smothering you… I attacked him, but he just shrugged it off… eventually, he stopped and let you drop on the ground, face-first. I ran up to you, but then I got warped somewhere before I ever reached you. I was scared… I thought I was trapped there…" Guilmon said. "I'm sorry Guilmon…" I said. "Don't be sorry! The important thing is that I'm not a prisoner somewhere!" Guilmon said. I thought about it for a minute and then said: "Come to think of it… Arata said that you'd be saved to my phone… so that must be where you went! You were being stored there until I went back into cyberspace." "Oh, so that's where I ended up? Then I guess it's okay." Guilmon said.

He then went on: "So where are we going?" "Wherever the trail takes us! It's an adventure, Guilmon!" I said. Guilmon grinned and said: "Yeah! An adventure!" We then both laughed and headed off, wandering through the cyberspace. It was quiet enough… until we came across a tiny creature; it was a little sleeping circular creature that was covered with fuzzy black fur and had two ears, two eyes and a mouth… but had no legs or arms. It looked 4 inches tall. "Guilmon what is that?" I asked. "A Botamon. They're very young Digimon, like babies. Even so, this one might be hostile, so let's sneak by." Guilmon said. I nodded and we walked slowly. The Botamon kept sleeping and we got closer and closer… but then my phone suddenly vibrated. I grimaced and took it out and it said: "Botamon scan data: 30%", and then the Botamon suddenly woke up! When it saw us, it spat bubbles at Guilmon and Guilmon narrowly escaped being hit by them! "Wow! That's strange!" I said. Guilmon didn't answer and instead said: "Rock Breaker!" and smacked the Botamon on the head and knocked it away. Even so, the Botamon spat more bubbles at Guilmon and he got hit by some but didn't take it too hard. Guilmon then used Rock Breaker again to knock out the creature. "Poor thing…" I said. "Aw, he'll be okay. He'll recover in time. So don't feel bad; let's just keep going!" Guilmon said.

We kept on going, until we bumped into another Digimon; this one was a circular creature, just like Botamon, but had no fur and just had red skin. It had three ears on top of its head, two eyes and a mouth. It looked 4-and-a-half inches tall. I was about to ask Guilmon what it was, but then my phone vibrated again and I checked it and it said: "Punimon scan data: 30%". It looked like I could just use this to see the names of these Digimon without bothering Guilmon anymore. Even so, Guilmon took this one as a threat too and said: "Rock Breaker!" as he attacked the Punimon with it. The Punimon fell over but then rolled up and started bouncing over to Guilmon! "Huh?! It can move?!" I said. Guilmon just ran in and hit the Punimon before it could get over and ended the whole thing.

We then kept going and eventually bumped into a new Digimon; it was a little white ghost-like creature. It was shaped like a dome and had two eyes and a mouth. It looked 3 inches tall, it was very tiny… I felt my phone vibrate and I saw it said: "Poyomon scan data: 30%". It seemed it saw us faster than we saw it, because it quickly spat bubbles at Guilmon. Guilmon got hit and reacted a little hard, saying: "Oww…" before he returned fire with his Rock Breaker and the Poyomon fell over.

Guilmon and I kept going until we bumped into another Digimon; this one was like a little puddle of green pudding with bubbles floating around it… it had two eyes and a nose. This one looked 3-and-a-half inches tall. My phone vibrated once again and this time I saw it said: "Pabumon scan data: 30%". Guilmon smacked it with his Rock Breaker and it retaliated by spitting bubbles at Guilmon. Luckily, Guilmon evaded these and smashed him again with another Rock Breaker that knocked it out.

Guilmon and I kept wandering and encountering Digimon as we went… eventually, Guilmon was starting to look bushed from all of the encounters until we reached the end of the road. "Ugh… what do we do now?" Guilmon said. I felt the same kind of energy that I felt when I was near the radio and I said: "I'm going to try moving in…" I stepped forward and then I felt myself get yanked ahead!

In a moment, I went flying into Kowloon! "Wow… that's convenient! It worked!" I said. Guilmon also reappeared next to me too and soon I got a call on my phone: it was from Kyoko and I answered it. "Hi Kyoko!" I said. "Oh! Thank heavens, there you are! I was wondering when you'd ever pick up! What happened?" She asked. "I think I just traveled through a passageway of data… I'm at Kowloon now." I said. "Kowloon? Really? That's certainly convenient; after all, we were trying to get you there in the first place!" Kyoko said. Then she went on: "Well, that'll save some time. Even so… if you really did go through cyberspace… that is extraordinary! I guess in your mostly digital state, those kinds of tricks are perfectly possible. Like a dive… no, a jump through cyberspace…" I then heard her say: "For now, let's call this exceptional ability of yours a 'connect jump', if we need to refer to it again—" and I said: "Sure. It will come in handy, I'm sure of it." "You're definitely right. Anyway, your next objective is to find the data from your appearance that I suspect was scattered around here. Go looking for it all over the area. Good luck!" Kyoko said. "Alright. Thanks, Kyoko!" I said.

I then heard Guilmon say: "Aah… more adventuring, huh?" "Yeah…" I said. "Well watch out for Digimon, okay? I'm getting beat." Guilmon said. "I'm sorry Guilmon. I'll look for a place to get you rested first. After all, we won't get far without you!" I said. I then went over to a terminal, looking for places we could go that might be ideal for Guilmon to rejuvenate. I looked at all the destinations and unfortunately, all I saw was an option to logout and a place called the 'Digilab'…

I didn't even know where this Digilab place was, but I guess wherever it is, it would be hard to do worse than staying in a territory where wild Digimon are on the loose… I selected it and we were teleported off!

In a moment, Guilmon and I were in a white room with four computer terminals in a square formation and an odd circular pad in the far-right side of the room, but there was a woman sitting in a chair looking at a laptop computer across from Guilmon and me! She was wearing a purple-and-white shirt, black pants and white laced boots. She also had short purple hair. When I saw her, I said: "Huh? Who are you?" She looked up and said: "My, I certainly don't see visitors like you every day…" She then put her laptop aside and went on: "Are you even human?" "Yes. Now would you mind telling me who you are?" I asked.

"My name is Mirei. I'm in charge of keeping this facility—the Digilab—up and running for sympathizers of Digimon." She replied. "Digi…lab?" I asked. "Yes. It is a place for Digimon tamers to manage their Digimon, heal their partners and even reconnect to places they were in the past that had Digimon, if they want to look for more of them. I'll explain it in further detail, but first would you mind telling me… your name?" Mirei asked. "Sure. I'm Simon." I said back. "Alright Simon. Well the terminals here each have a designated purpose—the one on the upper-left is a machine that you can use to heal your Digimon, like your poor Guilmon there…" Mirei said before she went on: "The one on the lower-left lets you access your farm islands, which are islands where Digimon are designated to be raised. If you have more Digimon than your device can carry, you can leave them on a farm island for them to stay in and grow on if you have farm goods…" and then she pointed to the upper-right hand terminal and said: "Which you can buy there." Then she said: "The one on the lower-right is where you can go to relocate the Digimon on your device from traveling with you to your farm islands, or vice-versa, digivolve your Digimon and even Digiconvert new Digimon to take with you."

"Oh cool! So that's how you create new Digimon with the Digimon capture program!" I said. "Yes exactly. Choose the Digiconvert option to create Digimon that you've scanned 100% or more data of. And lastly, the teleportation pad on the far right will teleport you to places with Digimon you've already visited, if you want to collect more scan data or have more battles." Mirei said. "Wow, that's great! Thanks, Mirei!" I said. She nodded and said: "Sure. Go ahead and have a go with as much as you like. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask." "Thanks! I'll be sure to do that! But first…" I said as I took Guilmon over to the healing terminal and then I used it and saw a green light expand around Guilmon and he smiled and said: "Alright! I'm ready for anything now!" "Glad to hear it! Now let's see if we can get you some friends from Digiconverting!" I said. "Yeah! More friends! More friends!" Guilmon said.

I then went over to the Digimon managing terminal and went straight to the Digiconverting section. I saw from all of the battles Guilmon and I had on the way here that I had enough scan data to Digiconvert one of each kind of Digimon we had seen on our way here: Botamon, Punimon, Poyomon and Pabumon. I started by Digiconverting Botamon. When I did, I saw an egg emerge before Guilmon and within seconds, I saw it start hatching! In a few moments, I saw a Botamon break down the egg shell, and it was there, right before me! "Wow! Check it out Guilmon! It's the first newbie!" I said as I picked the Botamon up and stroked it. The Botamon grinned and Guilmon smiled and cheered.

I then had the same experience with Punimon, Pabumon and Poyomon and I was just as excited each time. Botamon, Punimon, Pabumon and Poyomon were all hopping around with each other as I grinned and Mirei then came over and said: "You certainly do like the Digimon, I see. Excellent. You have the makings of a fine tamer." "Thanks, Mirei." I said. I then went on: "I can't wait to go on out and have an adventure with them! But before I do, I was wondering… how did I gain access here?" "I saw you and your Guilmon in Kowloon and decided that you were a good tamer, so I sent the URL to the Digilab to you, for you to use." Mirei said.

"Wow… well thank you for doing that! It was great that I had the chance to Digiconvert all these little guys too." I said. Mirei grinned and said: "Yes, it certainly was." "Well anyway, we'd best be off, but I'll be back!" I said, but then Mirei said: "Not so fast. I still have a special gift for you that you'll need to get further along…" "Huh?" I said. She took my hand and held it for a minute before I felt a big amount of energy come into it! "Wha—what the…?!" I said and then Mirei said: "Do not worry; I've just given you the ability to use hacking skills. They are helpful skills that will help you get through certain kinds of obstacles you may encounter in cyberspace." "Oh… I see. Well thank you. I guess I'll have to give them a try when we get out there, then!" I said. "Certainly. The exit's in the back of the room behind you. Don't forget to cultivate meaningful relationships with your Digimon." Mirei said. I then turned to my Digimon and said: "Come on everybody! Let's go adventuring!" Guilmon came on over and the other four hopped over excitedly and we teleported back to Kowloon.


	4. Keisuke: A wild goose chase

Keisuke Chapter 2—A wild goose chase—

The man was here too. I approached him (and Lunamon followed) and when he saw us, he nodded and said: "Okay, this is Under Kowloon level 1. As you know, Shiga will be here, so stay alert." "You bet!" I said back. I then turned to Lunamon and said: "Looks like this is it, Lunamon—are you ready?" "Of course! You saved me, so I'll be happy to help you!" Lunamon said back.

I smiled and closed my eyes before I heard her say: "Oh!" and I opened them before Lunamon said: "I almost forgot! I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot to ask for your name!" I smiled and said: "That's really nice of you to care so much. But anyway, my name's Keisuke." "Alright, Keisuke! And it was only the right thing to do, especially after you learned my name!" Lunamon said. I grinned before I heard the man say: "Hmm… for a program to like a person so quickly… how interesting."

I looked up, but then I remembered something: just as Lunamon hadn't thought to ask for my name, I hadn't gotten the man's name either! "Oh wait…! I was so wrapped up in what was going on back there, I didn't get your name!" I said to the man. "It's Ryuji. Now come on—as long as you've got a Digimon, we've got to find Youji before he gets away." The man said. I nodded and we went further in.

As we proceeded further in, we saw feral Digimon that attacked us as we went along… one was a little circular creature that was covered with fuzzy black fur and had two ears, two eyes and a mouth… but had no legs or arms. It looked 4 inches tall. Another was one was like a little puddle of green pudding with bubbles floating around it… it had two eyes and a nose. This one looked 3-and-a-half inches tall. Yet another was a circular creature but had no fur and just had red skin. It had three ears on top of its head, two eyes and a mouth. It looked 4-and-a-half inches tall. Another was one without arms or legs and had short, fuzzy pink fur all over. It had two floppy ribbon-like ears, two eyes and a mouth and looked about 8 inches tall. The last kind we encountered was like a walking hand with purple skin with two eyes above its fingers. It looked 7-and-a-half inches tall. Every time we encountered one of these, my phone would vibrate and show me the Digimon's name, as well as how much data of that Digimon it had scanned.

During the battles, I also tried looking up information about Lunamon on my phone (to see if it had anything I could use). Interestingly, it did and I checked it whenever I could. Apparently, all she could attack with was her tearing shot attack she had used earlier, but she would soon learn more than that… I also learned that (according to it) there were four types of Digimon: vaccine, data, virus and free. Each one had a strength and weakness against another type (except for free, which wasn't strong or weak against anything…). Lunamon was designated as a data Digimon, meaning she was powerful against vaccine Digimon, but vulnerable to virus Digimon.

The black fuzzy Digimon was called Botamon. The little puddle of green pudding was called Pabumon. The Digimon with red skin was called Punimon. The creature with pink fur was called Koromon. And the little walking hand was called Tsumemon. As we went through Under Kowloon, I got quite a bit of scan data as we pressed on (and it was very easy to defeat them with Ryuji's Cyberdramon helping!). We kept going until we eventually came to a dead end with a teenage boy in the distance who was chasing two Digimon… one was a short humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs. It had a gold body with two arms that had silver claws and it also had silver nails on its feet. It had silver spikes on its knees too. It had a silver cape, two ears and a giant horn coming out of its nose. It had the number '20' printed on its horn in silver numbers and looked 3'2 tall. The other looked like a short samurai-like Digimon. It walked on two legs and had peach-colored fur, as well as big, white toenails. It had a black underbelly and deep purple and red samurai armor on its back and it also had brown adornments that looked like antlers around its forehead. It had a tail and looked 2'6 tall. I checked my phone and saw the golden one with the giant horn was called Zubamon while the samurai-like one was called Ryudamon.

As Ryuji and I approached, I heard Ryudamon say: "Stop that!" and Zubamon say: "Leave us alone!" As we closed in, I said to Ryuji: "Ryuji… that guy… is he Youji?" "It looks like it. And that being said, your test begins now. I'll be watching you very closely." Ryuji replied.

That wasn't too helpful to hear now… we then kept going forward and the boy ran Zubamon and Ryudamon up to us! When he saw them there, he then said: "Hey! How about a little help here? Those Digimon are good ones! If you help me catch them, I'll even give you one!" As the boy approached, I saw more of his features: he had a red shirt, a black jacket, olive slacks and black shoes. He had spiky brown hair and was above average height.

I was disgusted when I heard this… Zubamon and Ryudamon looked up at me with desperate expressions and I said: "What are you waiting for?! Get going!" Zubamon and Ryudamon suddenly smiled and Zubamon ran by as he said: "You're the best!" and Ryudamon said: "Thank you!" as they ran off. The boy then said: "Wha… hey! What was that?!"

Ryuji then stepped between us and said: "Sorry to butt in, but we did have some business with you. Judging by how you look, you must be Youji Shiga, right?" "Heh-heh… I'm glad you know me! It's nice to be so widely known by the community!" the boy said.

Then he went on: "So now that I've told you who I am, how about you do the same for me, huh?" "My name's Keisuke. Sound familiar?" I said angrily. Youji looked confused before he said: "No. Should it? I make a point of remembering my contacts you know." I wasn't sure if he was being honest or trying to mock me… all the same, Ryuji then said: "I'm Ryuji of Hudie." When Youji heard this, he suddenly looked panicked and said: "Wha—! Hudie! You mean I've caught Zaxon's attention?!"

"Exactly. 'Come to the real world and repent your crimes that threw EDEN into disarray'. A little message from Yuuko." Ryuji said. "Sorry, but I don't have any interest in a date with Yuuko. Now beat it before I get mad!" Youji said. "We're not going anywhere." Ryuji answered. Youji then said: "Tch! Fine then! I'll just knock you down! Golemon!" and he called out an enormous, humanoid giant made of stone! It was colored tan and walked on two legs. It had two arms and a face that was covered from the top of its skull to its upper lip by a black plate. It had strings all over its arms and its shoulders were stitched to its arms. It looked 8'9 tall.

"Fine, have it your way then. Cyberdramon!" Ryuji said. Cyberdramon then took the frontlines and I said: "You too, Lunamon!" "Yes, Keisuke!" Lunamon said as she ran in. I then checked my phone for information on Golemon, but what came up wasn't very good; Golemon was not only a virus Digimon (which meant he was naturally advantaged against Lunamon) but he also was a higher level Digimon! I guess I'll have to leave most of the attacking to Ryuji… luckily, his Cyberdramon was strong against Golemon.

Cyberdramon then said: "Desolation claw!" and put his hands close to each other, but they weren't touching. A ball of cyan energy then formed between them and he fired a beam from it that went flying forward and hit Golemon hard! Golemon then fell down but got up again and then I said: "Lunamon, get ready to block if he attacks you!" and Lunamon watched Golemon closely.

Youji then said: "Golemon, give 'em an awesome quake!" and Golemon said: "Awesome quake!" and the ground really started to shake! A giant boulder then formed in between Cyberdramon and Lunamon and then shattered and rained down on them! When Lunamon saw this, she immediately assumed a defensive position. Cyberdramon had no trouble recovering from the attack though (and luckily Lunamon had an easier time recovering than I guessed). What happened next was basically a repeat of the last series of actions and Ryuji then said: "Attack him, Cyberdramon." And Cyberdramon flew at Golemon and swiped at him with his claws. "Lunamon, get ready to block!" I said. Lunamon then assumed a defensive position.

By now, Golemon was starting to look really beat. He still got up though and Youji said: "Argh! Golemon, use crimson curse!" and Golemon said: "Crimson curse!" and flames formed on his back before he shot them at Cyberdramon and Lunamon. Cyberdramon and Lunamon still got up though, and I said: "Time to fight back, Lunamon! Use tearing shot!" and Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and blasted Golemon with a bubble of water—and this time he fell straight onto his back and wouldn't get up!

"Yay!" Lunamon said. Youji then called back his Digimon (and Ryuji and I started approaching him) and when he looked up, he looked panicked and said: "Ahhh! I beg of you, please don't destroy my account!" "Before we get to that… there's something he wants to discuss with you first…" Ryuji said as he looked at me before he turned to Youji again and said: "We can talk about what happens to your account after that." "What?" Youji said.

"Give me back my account! The one you stole from me!" I said. "What…? I already told you, I don't know you, kid! Now I've taken a lot of accounts, but yours isn't one of them!" Youji said. "If you play dumb, your account isn't the only thing we'll wreck." Ryuji said. "Hey now, hold on! I'm being completely serious! I can even prove it! I keep a log of my activity in my phone! You can check it if you don't believe me!" Youji said as he handed it over.

Ryuji then took it (and I looked over his shoulder) as he looked it over and he finally said: "He's right. Your account isn't in here." I could even see it for myself—Youji wasn't the hacker who stole my account. And what K had told me… he had just fed me a lie. His claim that Youji had stolen my account was completely fake!

I was disappointed and Ryuji handed Youji's phone back to him and Youji said: "See! I'm being honest and telling the truth. So how about letting me go, huh?" "Not so fast. You may have been innocent of involvement with him, but you're still guilty in Zaxon's eyes—that hasn't changed. Now come on—Yuuko's waiting to see you." Ryuji said as he approached Youji. "Sorry, but as I said, I'm in no hurry to see Yuuko. See ya!" Youji said. And he ran away from us…

Ryuji then turned to me and said: "You wait here and block this exit. Don't let him past if he tries to run around you!" "You got it!" I said. But just then we heard Youji say: "Wha—what is that?!" We both then immediately turned our heads to see a mysterious yellow and orange circular pattern floating in the air! Moments later, a weird creature came out of it… it had a nautilus shell on its back and two eyes on the sides of its head, and a bunch of tentacles. It was black-and-white striped all over!

"What _IS_ that?" I asked. "Is it… a Digimon? No, it couldn't be…" Ryuji said. "Yuck! What is this…?!" Youji began, but then the creature flew at him and swiped at his legs with one of its tentacles! "Ouch!" Youji said as he tripped. The creature then grabbed Youji and started pulling him towards its face…!

"Augh! Help me!" Youji said. "That thing looks dangerous… we'd better get out of here!" Ryuji said. He then started to run in the other direction, but I didn't move… it didn't feel right to run from this… "What are you doing?! Hurry!" Ryuji said. "But… shouldn't we help?" I said. "Don't be a fool! Either it'll force him to log out, or his account will be destroyed! But his body's back on Earth either way! Nothing will happen to him!" Ryuji said. I then looked down… Youji hadn't done anything to me, but he was still a hacker who had devastated many other people… maybe it was okay for that reason…

"He didn't do anything to me… but he is a hacker who has stolen accounts and caused all kinds of trouble…" I said. I heard Youji scream before my head shot up (and I saw the creature was turning Youji around to face it) and I said: "Aw, man!" and then I said: "Forget it! Lunamon, let's go!" and I fled with Lunamon running behind me. "Wait! You've got to be kidding me! Don't leave me behind!" Youji screamed. I then heard Youji's voice in the distance (as if talking to the creature) saying: "What are you doing…?! Eew, gross! Get away from me! Yuuu—" and then I no longer heard his voice after that…

Ryuji and I then sprinted back to where we had come in and Ryuji stopped and said: "Whew! We should be safe from this distance." "But Ryuji… what was that horrible thing?" I asked. "I have no idea. Whatever it was though, something seemed off about it…" Ryuji replied. "I'll say. Digimon don't seem that aggressive at all…" I said. "For all we know, it may not pass muster to be a Digimon. _BUT_ … at least you passed muster at something." Ryuji said.

"Huh?" I said. "Remember? You were being tested to see if you were the kind of person who belongs in Hudie. And you passed. It was just barely, but you still passed." Ryuji said. I grinned and said: "Alright! That's fantastic!" "Yes, this opportunity isn't offered to just anybody, and some of the people who take it get weeded out… so congratulations." Ryuji said.

He then went on: "Still, you've just seen more of the trials a hacker has to deal with every day, and they're not always pretty. Are you still up for membership in Hudie, knowing what you're up against?" "Of course! I didn't come this far to quit now!" I said. Ryuji grinned and said: "Excellent. Then Come with me—it's time to get you started up in Hudie. You're one of us now." "Yay! Congratulations, Keisuke!" Lunamon said. I smiled and gave her a pat on the head before we left. But then I thought of something: What would happen to Lunamon after I logged out?!

I suddenly stopped and then Ryuji turned around and said: "What is it?" "Once we log out, we'll be back on Earth… so how can I keep Lunamon with me?" I asked. "Your partner Digimon will be saved to your phone, so it won't matter—you can just call her out from it the next time you're in cyberspace." Ryuji said. "Oh, that's great! I said. We then left to log out.


	5. Simon: The data hunt

Simon Chapter 3—The data hunt—

When we arrived, we went up the path straight ahead and it led us into Galacta Park again… and I saw that the orange wall was still in our way! "Great…" I said. Nokia and I hadn't figured out how to get rid of this annoying thing, which certainly looked like it would interfere with my current mission… "Aww, boo! What do we do about this?!" Guilmon asked. I stopped to think for a minute, but then I remembered Mirei's words about hacking skills… they were: "They are helpful skills that will help you get through certain kinds of obstacles you may encounter in cyberspace" … so was this wall… one of those obstacles? I held out my hand to the wall and it then dissipated! "Whoa!" I said as I retracted my hand. Then my phone rang all of the sudden! I answered it immediately.

"Hello?" I asked. I then heard Mirei say: "I see you've managed to learn how to use those hacking skills… excellent." "Mirei? What's going on?" I asked. "That skill you just used was a common kind of hacker skill. It's called 'wall crack'." Mirei said. "How did I use it?" I asked. "The power for your hacking skills come from your Digimon, so be grateful to them. Your attempt to destroy that firewall worked this time because you had a rookie level Digimon with you, your Guilmon. The 'wall crack' family of skills require you to have Digimon of a certain level, but the hacking skills 'copy and paste', which lets you record data characteristics and use it to overwrite data, 'code scan', which lets you read encrypted data and 'stealth hide', which turns you invisible, require you to have vaccine, data or virus Digimon with you respectively, in order to use them. So be mindful of how these skills work." Mirei said. "Wow… that's a lot to take in… but don't worry, I'll get the hang of it." I said. "That's the spirit. Now then, you'd best be off." Mirei said. "Sure. Thanks!" I said. We then hung up.

I took Guilmon and the others straight ahead… and we found a swirling stream of blue light up ahead! "Wow! What's that?" I asked. As if in response, my phone rang again! I picked it up and I heard Kyoko's voice say: "Hello Simon. Have you managed to gather any of your data yet?" "Not exactly, but I have found something interesting…" I said. "Interesting? Like what?" Kyoko asked. I explained what I saw before me and Kyoko said: "That sounds like data that is being left in storage! It could be your flesh data, so try to check it out!" "Oh great! Alright, I'll do just that!" I said.

Kyoko and I then said goodbye and I walked forward to the data… but then two Digimon appeared before me; a Botamon and a Punimon! "Wah!" I said. "Looks like they don't want to give that data... So let's smack 'em!" Guilmon said. I then prepared to send my Digimon on them, but I immediately thought of something: if I used them all at once, they would do more damage, but more of them would be exposed to harm as well. I decided to limit myself to three. I used my phone to call back Punimon and Botamon, leaving Guilmon, Pabumon and Poyomon out! I looked at Pabumon's and Poyomon's abilities (which turned out to be limited to spitting those bubbles…) before I said: "Guilmon, hit the Botamon with Rock Breaker!" And Guilmon did so. The Botamon recoiled while the Punimon hopped up to my Pabumon and tackled it! "Pabumon, tackle the Punimon!" I said. Pabumon did so and knocked it over. As the Punimon started to get up, I said: "Good job Pabumon, now jump over! Poyomon, spray bubbles at the Punimon!" Pabumon hopped out of the way while Poyomon sprayed bubbles at the Punimon and when they hit it, the Punimon fell over and didn't get up—it was knocked out. The Botamon sprayed bubbles at Guilmon and got him while Guilmon retaliated by hitting the Botamon with a swift chop and then my Pabumon and Poyomon spat up bubbles at the Botamon and took it out!

"Great job guys!" I said. I ran up to them and gave Guilmon a high five while petting Pabumon and Poyomon. I then said to them: "Good job! You both won your first battle!" and Pabumon and Poyomon smiled but didn't say anything. I was surprised by this and said: "Are… you guys okay?" and they still didn't respond. I didn't get it… they looked happy, but weren't saying anything… I turned to Guilmon and said: "Guilmon, why won't they answer me?" "Well think of it this way—when you were a baby, could you speak right after you were born?" Guilmon asked. "No." I said back. "Well they're the same way. It'll take some time for them to learn actual language. Once they digivolve to older in-training Digimon, they should be able to speak, but until then, you'll just have to be patient!" Guilmon said. "Oh… okay." I said.

But then I remembered: the data! I walked up to it and wasn't sure what to do… I reached out and tried to grab it, thinking that I'd be able to with my more digital body, but then the data started to swirl around me! "Wah!" I said. It started swirling around my legs and then began to combine with them! When the process was over, I saw that everything from my knees and down looked as it did before—my white shoes and dark blue pants were now intact again and replaced the blue wireframe that was there before. "Heey! That really was your data! Those are some interesting looking legs though…" Guilmon said. I smiled and said to Guilmon: "They're actually a kind of garment. It's normal for humans to wear clothing." I then saw Pabumon and Poyomon looking confused and I said: "Don't worry guys—it's me. From the knees and down, this is how I looked before I was reduced to the wireframe form you saw before." Pabumon and Poyomon then looked calmer before I said: "Anyway, we'd better find the rest of that data and fast—it looks awkward walking around like this."

I then moved further in with Guilmon, Pabumon and Poyomon in tow and eventually found another stream of swirling blue data! I then approached the data and saw three new Digimon I hadn't seen before; one on the right was a bird with pink feathers and had two big wings, almost like arms, along with two yellow legs with a shackle-like ring around its right leg and pink talons. It looked about 2'10. Another in the middle was a humanoid golem-like creature that was colored gray and looked like it was made of rocks. It walked on two legs, had two arms and two eyes. It was about 3'2. The last one on the left was a shellfish Digimon in a big, floating pink-and-black shell. It looked like a green, sludgy mass inside the shell and had ribbon-like ears. It looked about 1'8.

"These Digimon look stronger than the last ones…" I said. My phone then vibrated, and it said: "Left to right: Syakomon scan data: 20%, Gotsumon scan data: 20%, Biyomon scan data: 20%". I then quickly called back Pabumon and Poyomon and sent in Punimon and Botamon. I quickly checked my phone to see if Punimon and Botamon had abilities beyond spitting those bubbles, but (unfortunately) they didn't…

Punimon and Botamon then hopped in there and I said: "Punimon, tackle Biyomon!" And Punimon tackled Biyomon and even knocked it down! Punimon then hopped off and Guilmon then followed up and said: "Rock Breaker!" and smacked Gotsumon, which hit him hard! The Gotsumon then started to run after Punimon and when it got in close, it said: "Rock Fist!" And he slugged Punimon with a punch! Punimon had an impressively easy time recovering though. Botamon then spat bubbles at Biyomon, who took the hit relatively hard. Biyomon then said: "Spiral Twister!" and she spat green flames that moved in a spiral pattern at Punimon! Luckily, Punimon managed to evade it, though. The Syakomon then said: "Black Pearl Shot!" And he shot black pearls at Guilmon, Punimon and Botamon!

After everyone recovered, Guilmon got up and smashed Gotsumon with another Rock Breaker, which took him down! Punimon then tackled Biyomon and Botamon followed up with its bubbles, and that took Biyomon out too! Syakomon responded by shooting black pearls at each of my Digimon and hit Guilmon and Botamon, but not Punimon, who evaded the shot. When my Digimon combined their attacks at Syakomon, they took him down!

"Great work everyone!" I said. I then approached the data. Once again, the data combined with everything at and below my waist level and now everything from my waist down looked as it did before… although I still looked like a wireframe from everywhere above. "Right on! I guess if two groups of idle data are enough to restore your appearance by half, then there must be two more out there?" Guilmon said. "It looks like you're right!" I said. Punimon and Botamon looked mystified for a minute, but then shrugged. It looked like they understood too…

We then went further into Kowloon and eventually found another stream of swirling blue data! I headed up to it and then a Pabumon and Poyomon appeared! I saw that my poor Botamon was looking worn out, so I called it back and sent in Pabumon.

The Pabumon then quickly hopped up to Punimon and bashed into it with its nose. Punimon didn't take it very hard, but looked noticeably sickened after the attack… "Punimon?" I asked. "Oh no… I think that Pabumon just used a 'venom trap' attack! That attack isn't very strong, but it poisons the target!" Guilmon said. "What?! So Punimon's—" I began but then Guilmon said: "Punimon won't die. The poison just saps energy for a while. Even so, it's a big disadvantage. So we'd better end this fast!" I nodded and then said: "Punimon, tackle the Poyomon! Guilmon, back 'em up with a Rock Breaker!" and Punimon tackled down the Poyomon before hopping off and Guilmon smashed the Poyomon with a swift chop and took it out before it could do anything! My Pabumon then spat up bubbles at the other Pabumon and it recoiled before Punimon tackled it. The Pabumon then spat bubbles at Guilmon and Guilmon jumped at Pabumon while Punimon hopped off and then chopped it. The enemy Pabumon was down once it connected.

I then ran up to Punimon and said: "Hey—are you feeling any better?" Punimon then shook off and nodded. I gave a sigh of relief and said: "That's a relief…" I then turned around and went up to the data and it combined with my torso this time… when the process was over, everything went back to normal from beneath my shoulders. My shirt was black, my hands had my black, fingerless-gloves on them and my arms actually had skin on them… "Looks like we're coming along well… Oof… only one more to go, I hope." Guilmon said. It looked like even Guilmon was getting worn down from all of this combat… I then said: "I'm sorry. Thanks for helping out guys. Just stay strong—we're almost there!"

They then nodded and we headed further in. Eventually, we came to the area where that 'black shadow of EDEN' had eaten my data the first time… I was feeling edgy being here, so I monitored my surroundings carefully before I heard Guilmon say: "Oh! There it is!" And I turned to see the last stream of swirling blue data! I checked around me for that 'black shadow' monster before I approached it and a single Digimon came out of this one—it was a round Digimon with no arms or legs—just a white face with two eyes and a mouth, along with orange fur all around it and a big black horn on its head. It looked 9 inches tall, although its horn made it appear taller. I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it. It said: "Tsunomon scan data: 25%". I then called back Punimon and Pabumon and called in Poyomon and Botamon. Guilmon started things off by smashing Tsunomon with a chop. Tsunomon recoiled from the hit but recovered and then hopped over to Poyomon! Poyomon spat bubbles at it, which Tsunomon really took hard (harder than Guilmon's attack even) but it still got up and launched itself at Poyomon before delivering a headbutt to Poyomon!

Poyomon fell back and Tsunomon hopped over, but then Botamon hopped up to Tsunomon bravely and tackled it! This knocked Tsunomon sideways and Guilmon hit Tsunomon with a chop while it was down. Tsunomon retaliated by spitting bubbles at Guilmon, which he recovered from, and then Poyomon spat more bubbles at Tsunomon and knocked it down—we had won!

I then approached the data and it combined with my shoulders and head. When the process ended, I could see the side of my shirt on my shoulder—it looked like my flesh data had been completely restored. I then turned to Guilmon and said: "Is that it? Is there any wireframe left?" Guilmon then shook his head and said: "Nope!" I smiled and said: "That's great! Now let's get back to the Digilab to heal you guys up before I swing on over to Kyoko's and give her the good news! "Works for me! Let's go!" Guilmon said.

We then hustled back to the entrance of Kowloon and I went to that terminal from before and went back to the Digilab. I greeted Mirei and healed my Digimon up right away and passed by the Digimon managing terminal and intended to keep going, but then I stopped and thought of something; my little Digimon had just been through a few battles. Maybe they had the experience to digivolve now…

At that point I changed my mind and went to the terminal. I checked out the digivolving section and saw that it said Botamon, Punimon, Poyomon and Pabumon could all digivolve, but not Guilmon. Even so, that was really exciting! I looked at who each could digivolve into; my choices for Botamon were Koromon or Wanyamon. My choices for Punimon were Nyaromon or Tsunomon. My choices for Poyomon were Bukamon and Tokomon. And my choices for Pabumon were Motimon, Yokomon and Tanemon.

I quickly made up my mind and decided to digivolve Poyomon into a Tokomon first. Poyomon became a colorless wireframe and was reshaped into a Tokomon—a little whitish-pink Digimon that had a circular body with four legs (but no arms), two ribbon-like ears and two eyes and a mouth. It looked 6 inches tall. "Alright! Congratulations, Tokomon!" I said. "Thank you! I'm going to keep digivolving and help out everyone!" Tokomon said. "Oh… you can speak!" I said. "Yup! I'll put that talent to good use too." Tokomon said. I smiled and said: "Well that's great! I'm glad for you. I can't wait to see what the others will be like too…" Tokomon nodded and he went over with Guilmon on the side.

Next, I prepared to digivolve Botamon. After I selected for it to digivolve into Koromon, the process repeated before Koromon was before me! Koromon had no arms or legs and had short, fuzzy pink fur all over. It had two floppy ribbon-like ears, two eyes and a mouth and looked about 8 inches tall. "Right on! So here's my second digivolved Digimon, Koromon!" I said. Koromon smiled and said: "Yup! I'm off to a good start so far!" "You've got that right, Koromon! You were a real scrapper back there—and I'm sure the others agree too." I said. "Oh—you think so?" He said. "Sure! It was impressive how you rushed in to defend me in that last battle after all." Tokomon said. "Yeah! You're a scrapper!" Guilmon said. Koromon grinned and said: "Maybe you're right. Thanks guys!" And he hopped over with Guilmon and Tokomon.

Punimon was the next Digimon I chose to digivolve. I chose for Punimon to digivolve into Nyaromon—a circular yellow Digimon with purple stripes on its back, two eyes, a mouth, two ears and even a tail, looking 6-and-a-half inches tall. I started the digivolution and soon the process finished. I then said: "Great job digivolving, Nyaromon!" "Yup! And I'm looking forward to seeing what else we'll get done too." Nyaromon said. "Plenty! We can be sure of that!" I said. Nyaromon smiled and then he went over to Guilmon, Tokomon and Koromon.

Finally, I digivolved Pabumon. I chose to digivolve it into Tanemon— a small green and white Digimon with two eyes, a mouth and four legs (but no arms) and a sprout growing out of its back. It looked 7 inches tall with the sprout (and 5 inches without it). When the process was finished, I said: "Good work, Tanemon! You're really coming along nicely!" Tanemon then nodded and then Koromon said: "What's wrong, Tanemon? You don't seem very excited…" "Yeah! Let's show some enthusiasm!" Guilmon said. "I'll leave that part to you boys, but I'm more than ready." Tanemon answered coolly. "I'm glad you're so confident, Tanemon! That'll be a trait that will serve you well." I said. Tanemon grinned and then she hopped over to the others.

I then said: "Well as long as we're all ready, let's get back to business, huh?" Guilmon, Tokomon, Koromon and Nyaromon all cheered while Tanemon nodded again. We then left the Digilab.

When we were back in Kowloon, I took the exit portal out of Kowloon and back to Nakano. When I arrived, I saw I was in an arcade-like area…I wandered around a bit and eventually found my way back to Kyoko's office. I was about to go in, but then I remembered: Kyoko had never seen me in my normal form before… if I went in the way I was now, she wouldn't recognize me… I decided to call Kyoko to let her know I was coming. I took out my phone and called Kyoko. In a moment, I heard her say: "Hello Simon. Have you had any luck?" "Yes I have, Kyoko! I've recovered all of my flesh data!" I said. "That's great! Now come back to my office so we can discuss what to do next." She said. "Alright!" I said. "How soon should I expect to see you?" Kyoko asked. "That would be…now." I said as I opened the door. Kyoko immediately looked up and then took her phone away from her ear as she said: "Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance." She then hung up and I put my phone away as Kyoko said: "So you've returned to normal… although I never expected you were from the west… what was it that brought you here, if you don't mind me asking?"

I then told her that I had come from outside the country on my summer vacation. Kyoko looked a little downcast after I finished explaining and said: "Hmm… so your family doesn't even know what's happened to you then… that's difficult." "Right… but at least I look normal again." I said. Kyoko then said: "So how did you restore your appearance, exactly?" "Well as we discussed, I found some swirling streams of blue data and gathered the data from them. Each time, it restored a bit of my appearance." I said. Kyoko then grinned and said: "That's fascinating! So those blue streams of data are the remains of another's data… this is an amazing discovery!" "Is it really? All I did was just retrieve what I lost—" I began and Kyoko said: "Of course it is! And this could lead to many more based on what knowledge I've gained!" She then went on: "Thank you for your help. You've already been a great help to me in a very short time." "You're welcome." I said.

Kyoko then said: "Still, that's surprising that your flesh data was unguarded… did you really get them that easily?" I hesitated for a moment. I wasn't sure if Kyoko would believe me when I mentioned that my Digimon had helped me recover them, but I felt I couldn't hide this forever… "No, not easily. They were guarded by Digimon, but I had my own to stop them." I said. "Ah, so you have your own Digimon. Well that makes sense… and I suppose that might explain the 'red lizard' that you mentioned when we first met." Kyoko said. "Yes…" I said.

I was rather surprised at how well Kyoko took that, but then she said: "Well let me ask you this: now that you have your flesh data back, what are you planning to do?" "Eh? Well…" I began but I didn't respond. I finally said: "I guess I didn't think of that." "Given your predicament, it looks like you have plenty of time before you'll have to make any serious decisions. You have a whole summer vacation ahead of you and you have to decide how to spend it." Kyoko said. I looked down as I said: "Yeah. It's already been disrupted a bit, but… I can't say that that's bothered me. I've already had a lot of fun just doing what I've done in cyberspace." "Well I can see two options for what you could do next then; you could either sightsee here in Japan…" Kyoko said and I looked up at her before she continued: "Or you could work here as my assistant in the meantime." "WHAT? You'd really let me have a temporary job here?" I asked. "You've already made a big discovery very early in your explorations through cyberspace. I think you have the makings of a fine assistant. Of course, that's only if you want to spend your summer that way." Kyoko said.

"Well… okay! I've already had a lot of fun going through cyberspace and getting involved as much as I have. It'd be a waste to stop now!" I said. Kyoko smiled and said: "Excellent. That works great for me; I could use a little help around here. Well then my dear Watson, let's get started with a toast to your success. I'll whip up a pot of coffee to celebrate this!" Kyoko said. She then went off to a side room and I waited for a while before she came back with two cups of coffee and she gave me one before she said: "This is a new recipe I whipped up; coffee with seaweed and red bean paste. Let's hope it turns out well for this occasion!"

I tried to keep my facial expressions under control, but I wasn't sure if I did so successfully… that brew that Kyoko made sounded dreadful… We then raised our cups and I saw Kyoko drank hers easily. I hope it'll be that easy for me… I decided the best way to handle this was to drink the entire thing in one gulp. I drank it as quickly as I could and I'm certainly glad I did, because it was arguably the worst-tasting thing I had consumed in my life.

After I swallowed it all (except the seaweed), I tried as hard as I could to keep a straight face (although I'm not sure I did that very well either) as Kyoko chuckled and said: "A little strong for you?" "Ulp… yes…" I replied. Kyoko chucked again and said: "Well let's begin. There's plenty to do!"


	6. Simon: Team Zaxon

Simon Chapter 4—Team Zaxon—

Kyoko then said: "Well to get you started, let's have you get to know everything here at Broadway. There are four floors in this building and you should get to know the facilities. Go around and say 'hi' to everyone too." "Sure! No problem!" I said. "Good. Then off you go, Simon!" Kyoko said.

I left her office and started to explore the first floor. It had the entryway to Broadway, stairs and an escalator to the third floor, but not much else… I took the stairs to the second floor, but it wasn't long before I bumped into someone by mistake! It was a teenage boy who looked about my age. He had black pants, a white shirt and was wearing a blue jacket. He had short black hair too and was relatively tall. I then rose and said: "Whoops! Sorry! I was on my way to get to the fourth floor and went too fast…" "It's alright. What are you doing here, though? You look like a tourist." The boy asked. "I'm actually working here for my summer vacation. I came to Japan to sightsee and decided to get more involved. My name's Simon Hayes. Who are you?" I asked. "Keisuke. Keisuke Amasawa. Well, welcome to Japan, Simon." The boy said. "Thanks, Keisuke! And I'm sorry again about bumping into you. Why don't you go first as my apology?" I asked. "Alright. Thank you." Keisuke said. He then went around me and down the hall, and I went up the stairs when he was gone.

I soon arrived at the second floor, which had a few restaurants and a music shop and nothing else of note. I then took the stairs to the third floor, which had more restaurants and a shopping center, but not for anything that would help my Digimon, so I headed up the stairs to the fourth floor and there was a café, as well as the terminal Kyoko talked about that had an internet connection in the front of the arcade area I previously arrived at! I had greeted everyone, so I went back down to the first floor and re-entered Kyoko's office.

When I arrived, Kyoko looked up and I said: "Finished!" "Hmm… not too bad, Simon. That took just the right amount of time—enough to introduce yourself to everyone, but not excessively enough to dilly-dally. I'm glad to see my assistant manages time well." Kyoko said. "You bet!" I said.

Kyoko grinned and said: "That's the spirit. Now to get your temporary career as a cyber sleuth started, we recently received a case from someone." "Oh? Who is that?" I asked. "We have a case from a club of kids who have heard of a ghost-like program appearing in Kowloon. They are fascinated by this sort of thing, but they don't know what to believe about this and they wanted you to investigate it and see if you can confirm or deny its existence." Kyoko said. Then I remembered: A ghost-like program… that was Yuugo! With that being said, I suppose I may have enough information to finish this case now, but… I felt it couldn't hurt to try to find Yuugo again and ask him more.

"Alright! I'm on my way!" I said. "Excellent. Just be sure to be careful, as you were last time." Kyoko said. "You bet!" I said as I left the office.

I then went to the fourth floor and used the terminal to log back into Kowloon. When I got there, everyone appeared again and I decided to let Guilmon, Nyaromon and Koromon take the front lines. We went into the area, fighting off enemies as we went, and I switched my Digimon as I went along. I looked for Yuugo (or anything similar to Yuugo) but didn't find anything. "Whatcha looking for, Simon?" Tokomon asked, who was now out. "I'm looking for a ghost like program. Guilmon saw it earlier with me—" I began and then Guilmon said: "Are you talking about Yuugo? What did you want with him?"

"I was investigating what he was doing here on a client's request…" I said, and then Guilmon said: "Huh? Why did this client of yours want to know that?" "They're fascinated by paranormal phenomena apparently." I said. Guilmon looked confused before I said: "Well let's just keep going. You're doing great guys!" And we headed onward.

We headed to the next area, but as I was approaching, I saw two girls up ahead—one was wearing a pink-and-black long-sleeved shirt that was connected to a skirt that matched in color with very long black leggings. She also had brown shoes and she had long black hair. The other wore a blue jacket with a black undershirt, black pants with a yellow sash around her waist and white shoes. She had brown hair in two buns on the top of her head.

As I approached, I heard them speak. The girl in the blue jacket said: "It looks like he's not here either…" the girl in the pink-and-black shirt then said: "Well let's keep looking. He may turn up." The girl in the blue jacket then said: "Are you sure it's wise to use our time like this? We're going to have to get back to—" but then they turned around and saw me. "What are you doing there?" The girl in the blue jacket asked. "I'm here on an investigation, and I was just passing through. My name's Simon. Who are you two?" I asked. As if she didn't hear me, the girl in the blue jacket then said: "An investigation? What kind of investigation?" "I'm investigating a ghost-like program in this area." I said. "Hmm…" The girl in the pink-and-black shirt said. She then said: "Please excuse our delay in answering. My name is Yuuko and this is my friend, Fei." She said as she pointed to the girl in the blue jacket.

Yuuko then went on: "We were also looking for that same ghost, so for now, do you want to team up?" "Alright. That's fine by me." I said. "Excellent. Then let's go, Simon!" Yuuko said.

I then headed off with Yuuko and Fei through Kowloon. As we continued to walk, a small group of Digimon jumped out at us! One of them was a Digimon that looked like a giant gear, but it was colored orange with yellow edges and had orange cogs that looked almost like hands. It looked 1'8 tall. Another was a furry purple Digimon that walked on two legs. It had a head with two eyes and a mouth, two short arms with claws, and a big furry tail. It looked 2'10 tall. The last one was like a small flying bat that had a big circular head with two feet attached below and two big wings. Its legs were colored white, the talons on its feet were colored red and its head and wings were colored navy blue. It also had a skull-and-crossbones mark on its forehead. It looked 1 foot tall.

My phone then vibrated and it said: "Left to right: Solarmon scan data: 20%, Dorumon scan data: 20%, DemiDevimon scan data: 20%."

Then I remembered: we hadn't arranged how we would handle Digimon encounters! "So how are we going to handle conflicts?" I asked. "Why don't we take turns fighting? Simon, would you care to start?" Yuuko asked. "Sure." I said. I then let my current Digimon—Guilmon, Tanemon and Tokomon—go straight into battle. I then said: "Guilmon, smash the Dorumon with rock breaker!" Guilmon then ran up to the Dorumon and smashed him on the head with a chop. The Solarmon then said: "Shiny ring…" and conjured up a shining, golden gear and threw it at Guilmon! Guilmon took it pretty hard while Tanemon said: "Gaia element!" and caused a sphere of green energy to form around DemiDevimon. Tokomon then said: "Bite!" and he chomped on Dorumon, hard! The DemiDevimon then said: "Panic wisp!" and sent a small wisp of red fire flying at Guilmon! When Guilmon got hit, he started to look anxious and flustered. "Guilmon, what's wrong?" I asked. Guilmon finally screamed and said: "AHHH!" and he suddenly lashed out at Tanemon and hit her! Tanemon shut her eyes tightly as I said: "HEY! Guilmon, what are you doing?!" "Heh-heh-heh…" the DemiDevimon said, while Fei said: "That's a nasty kind of status condition called 'panic'. It makes your Digimon go nuts and they act on their own. As you saw, they may engage in friendly fire while they're panicked."

"Oh that's just great…" I mumbled. I then said: "Tanemon, hit the DemiDevimon with Gaia element! Tokomon, smack Dorumon with heavy strike!" And Tanemon did so while Tokomon said: "Heavy strike!" and rammed into Dorumon. Dorumon got knocked down from Tokomon's attack and couldn't get up, so at least we had made some progress. Solarmon then hit Guilmon again with that golden gear and Guilmon ran up to DemiDevimon and smacked him! DemiDevimon started to look pretty haggard, and then he conjured three syringes in front of him and said: "DEMI DART!" and they flew at each of my Digimon and hit them. DemiDevimon also looked like he felt a little better afterwards…

Guilmon then smashed DemiDevimon again and he fell back and wouldn't get up… Tokomon then attacked the Solarmon with heavy strike and Tanemon attacked him with Gaia element. Solarmon then hurled a gear at Tanemon, who recovered. After that, Guilmon looked like he was back to his senses and he hit the Solarmon with rock breaker, but the Solarmon didn't even flinch… after that, Tokomon and Tanemon ganged up on Solarmon and it went down.

"Good work guys!" I said. "Yeah. It was hard, but it looks like we came out on top." Tokomon said. "Hmph. They were no match for us." Tanemon said. Guilmon, however, looked sad… "What is it, Guilmon? It's not like you to be all dispirited…" I said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we got rid of them… I just feel so bad that I ended up hitting a friend…" Guilmon said. He then turned to Tanemon and said: "I'm really sorry, Tanemon…" "That's alright. Besides, it didn't even hurt." Tanemon said. "Don't go blaming yourself, Guilmon—it wasn't your fault. What's important is that you all worked together and took them down while staying in one piece yourselves! You guys are doing great!" I said.

I then turned to Yuuko and Fei and said: "Well, looks like my turn is up for now. Shall we keep going?" "That we shall." Fei said.

We kept wandering through Kowloon, until we came across more Digimon! This time it was a group of three small, four-legged Digimon that had white underbellies and light brown upper bodies with two wing-like ears. They also had a stubby tail and looked 1'6 tall. Yuuko and Fei turned to each other and Fei said: "Shall I?" "Sure. Go for it Fei!" Yuuko said.

Fei then walked up and called out a Digimon… it was even taller than she was! It looked about 9'6 and was colored like a wasp, yet walked on two legs and had two arms. It carried two bright blue lances in its hands and wore a red scarf around its neck. Fei then said: "TigerVespamon, give one of those Patamon a victory stinger mark 5!" and the giant wasp Digimon leapt at one of the Digimon and thrust its lances at it too fast for my eye to follow and the Patamon went down immediately! The other two spat air bubbles at TigerVespamon, who didn't even flinch… "Do it again!" Fei said and TigerVespamon repeated its attack and took down another Patamon. The last Patamon helplessly spat an air bubble at TigerVespamon, but I couldn't even tell if it did anything to TigerVespamon. TigerVespamon then repeated its attack and knocked out the Patamon.

Fei then called her TigerVespamon back and said: "Well that was easy enough. Shall we continue?" "Wow… that Digimon was something else!" I said. Fei then turned to me and said: "Yup, that's partially because my TigerVespamon is a mega level Digimon, while those Patamon were rookie level Digimon—that means they were badly outmatched, in case that's not clear—and also because of how I matched my Digimon to my opponents." She then went on: "Judging by how you had your Guilmon attack a vaccine Digimon, I'm assuming you're new at this, so I'll help you out—See, TigerVespamon isn't my only Digimon. But I called her out because she's strong against data Digimon like those Patamon, so she has a natural advantage. In that example, my TigerVespamon does more damage to those Patamon with her attacks and takes less from the Patamon's." "Fascinating…" I said. "Yes it is. Look it up on your device—it'll help you. For now, remember this: If you're up against a vaccine Digimon, use a data Digimon. If you're up against a data Digimon, use a virus Digimon. And if you're up against a virus Digimon, use a vaccine Digimon. But none of that matters if you're using a free Digimon." Fei said.

We then continued to search Kowloon for a while, but still didn't find anything. "Well gosh, maybe that ghost isn't here. What a disappointment…" Fei said. "We haven't searched every area yet! Let's keep looking." Yuuko said. Eventually, we came to a dead end and Yuuko said: "Nope… not here either… maybe we should—" but then more Digimon came out! They were blue, reptilian Digimon that walked on two legs and had two arms. They had white underbellies and a horn over their noses. They looked about 2'10 tall. "I guess I'm up." Yuuko said. She then called out a very impressive machine Digimon—it walked on two legs and had two arms ending with metallic claws. It had cannons on its back and had a dinosaur-like head. It looked 16 feet tall and was covered in metal. "Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, blast those Veemon with an infinity cannon!" and the giant machine Digimon hunched forward and fired energy blasts from the cannons on its back at the Veemon. The energy blasts hit and caused a massive explosion and when the blast cleared, the Veemon were soundly down…

"Wow. That is one impressive Digimon…" I said. "Thank you." Yuuko said before she called her Machinedramon back. She then said: "I guess that ghost wasn't here after all…" "Cheer up. You'll find it next time." I said. Yuuko grinned and said: "Thank you. By the way, you're pretty good for a newbie. How long have you been working with Digimon?" "Not long at all…" I said. Yuuko and Fei exchanged glances and Fei said: "Well, you seem to be a quick learner with good potential. Would you care to join our group?" "Your group? What group is that?" I asked. "We're from Team Zaxon. We're a hacker group that is trying to keep peace in Cyberspace." Yuuko said. She then went on: "Like Fei said, you do seem to have good potential. So how about it? Care to get on board?" I smiled as I said: "Thank you, but I'm already a cyber sleuth, so I don't know how much time I would have to be a member of your group. It sounds like a fine group though." "Aw what can you do. Well that's fine, but remember that our doors are open to you if you change your mind, Simon." Yuuko said.

She then turned to Fei and said: "Alright Fei, back to the Zaxon forum." "Yup." Fei said. We all then said goodbye and went our separate ways. I got into some encounters along the way back, but we made it out okay. I wasn't sure what I was going to do about not seeing this ghost-like program that the clients wanted me to find… but maybe what I had heard from Yuugo was enough. I decided to try and prepare a report, but as I passed by a terminal, my mind wandered to the Digilab and if my Digimon could digivolve. I decided to go and look.

When I was back in the Digilab, I greeted Mirei and went over to the terminal used for digivolution and checked to see if my Digimon could digivolve. I was surprised to see that they all could! I started off by digivolving Guilmon, who was going to digivolve above the rookie level. I chose for him to digivolve into a Digimon called 'Growlmon'. When the process was complete, He still was colored like his old self with a red body and white underbelly with a black symbol there. His tail was much straighter and he had two horns now, as well as some more normal-looking pointed ears and his hands at the ends of his arms still ended in claws but looked more like hands. He also had white hair on the top of his head and was much taller—taller than I was even— at about 5'10. "Alright! Congratulations, Growlmon! You're my first champion level Digimon!" I said. "Yeah! I'm in business now!" Growlmon said.

I then decided to digivolve Tokomon next. I chose for Tokomon to digivolve into a Patamon, like the ones we had seen in Kowloon. When the process was finished, I said: "Nice work, Patamon! Now you've managed to leave the in-training stage and digivolve up to the rookie level!" I said. "Yup! That works for me!" Patamon said. He then went over by Growlmon.

After that, I decided to digivolve Koromon into an Agumon. I guess he'll be just like Nokia's... the process began and when it finished, Agumon indeed looked just like Nokia's. I still smiled and said: "Alright! Congrats on reaching the rookie level, Agumon!" Agumon grinned and said: "Thank you! I guess I've gotten a bit more powerful from this digivolution… more power to help everyone with!" He then went over with Growlmon and Patamon.

I then moved onto Nyaromon and digivolved him into an Armadillomon. He now looked like an armadillo, with a hard, brown shell and four brown legs, as well as a purple underbelly and yellow skin on his face, ears, feet and even on a short tail! He had silver toenails and he looked 1'7 tall. When the process finished, I said: "Great job becoming stronger Armadillomon!" "Thanks. It's all thanks to you, Simon." He said. I smiled and said: "Thank you. But don't discount your hard work, either!" He smiled and then then went off with Growlmon, Patamon and Agumon.

After that, I finished up by digivolving Tanemon into a Digimon called Renamon. Renamon was a fox Digimon, but strangely enough walked on two legs. She had yellow-orange fur and a white underbelly. She had two arms that had long purple gloves with a yin-yang symbol on it and that had a string that bound her paws so that they looked like hands. She had two ears, two eyes and a pointed black nose. For a rookie Digimon, Renamon was extremely tall, standing at 5'2. After she was done digivolving, I said: "Way to go, Renamon! Now everyone's digivolved past the in-training level! Congratulations!" "Of course. There wasn't any doubt it was going to happen. And you can count on me to keep doing it!" She said.

After that, we left the Digilab and I left Kowloon. I went back down to Kyoko's office and when I came in, she said: "Ah, you've returned. Did you find the 'ghost-like program' that our client wanted?" "Not this time…" I said. "What do you mean, 'not this time'? Are you saying you've seen it before?" Kyoko asked. "I think I may well have." I said. I then explained when I saw Yuugo in my first trip through Kowloon. "So you may have witnessed the 'ghost-like program' already…" Kyoko said. She then went on: "Why didn't you say anything? You could have reported to our clients sooner." "That's true, but I wanted to see if I could find Yuugo to get more information." I said. "Well I suppose that's reasonable… even so, the main part of your mission was to 'confirm or deny its existence', and you've done that. Yes… I suppose I can't blame you for wanting to carry on a more thorough investigation of the program. For now, I'll give you the phone number they left. Contact them and offer them your report to finish this up." Kyoko said. "You bet!" I said.

Later on, I called the club and they met with me the next day. When they arrived, I explained what I knew to them and confirmed its existence. They were excited and thanked me, expressing interest in having us help them again if they heard anything new they wanted to investigate (to which I said we'd be glad to) and soon the discussion wrapped up and they left.

When they left the office, Kyoko said: "You handled yourself well. Good job, Simon—you've solved your first case." "Thanks Kyoko." I said back. "Just keep your wits about you. There'll likely be plenty more where that came from." Kyoko said. "That's fine by me! I have a lot I'm hoping to accomplish in these few months!" I said. Kyoko grinned and said: "That's my assistant. Well then, let's keep this up!"


	7. Keisuke: Welcome to Hudie

Keisuke Chapter 3—Welcome to Hudie—

After that, Ryuji and I logged out (and Lunamon was sent back to my phone) at his position where he logged in from. We then wound up in the bustling streets of Ikebukuro. It was a big city with lots of buildings… Ryuji then put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Come on. I'll show you to our base." I nodded and we walked through the streets to an internet cafe with a logo of a cartoony butterfly that said: "Hudie" printed in a large size on a sign outside. That was certainly convenient… There was a staircase leading up into the building too.

Ryuji then walked up the staircase (and I followed) until we were inside of the internet cafe. There was a desk that a receptionist was behind and an area with a bunch of tables and machines that appeared to make drinks like coffee available, there was even some food nearby too. There was also a TV screen up by the tables. There were a bunch of cubicles further in too…

We then walked up by the desk and the receptionist looked at us. She was a young woman who wore a white shirt, blue pants and had long brown hair. The receptionist then said: "Welcome back, Ryuji. Looks like you've returned from your last outing?" "That's right, Yuri." Ryuji replied.

She then turned to me and said: "And who is this? Is he a guest?" "He's actually a new recruit. So you won't need to ask him about how long he intends to stay." Ryuji said. "Oh, that's great! Welcome to Hudie then! As Ryuji said, I'm Yuri, the receptionist here. Who are you?" she asked. "My name's Keisuke. It's nice to meet you Yuri." I said. "It's nice to meet you too. Good luck with your work here!" Yuri said. "That's enough talk for now. Come along Keisuke—we've got some things to discuss." Ryuji said. "Sure thing!" I said. I then walked further into the cafe area with Ryuji and he went into a corner with me before he said: "I'll be back with something for you. Wait here…" and he went further in…

I waited briefly and then Ryuji came back with a blue jacket with a butterfly logo on the back and said: "This is the official jacket of our team, Hudie. Go and take it—it's yours." "Alright! Thanks Ryuji!" I said. I then put it on—it looked cool over my white shirt and black pants. Ryuji then nodded and went on: "Now I'll introduce you to some of the senior members of Hudie who you'll be working with, as well as debriefing them about the latest mission you helped with." He then went further in and gestured for me to follow, which I did. He then took me into an area that was jam-packed with cubicles and computers. He took me further in and said: "Do you see that room in the back there?" As he pointed to one in back. "Yes." I said back. "Go there and meet Erika in there. I'll go fetch Chitose for the meeting." Ryuji said. "Understood. See you soon, Ryuji!" I said.

I then went up to the door and knocked on it. I then heard a girl's voice on the other side say: "Sorry, no solicitors." "What? I'm a new member in Hudie." I said back. But then there was no response. "Um… hello?" I said. There still was no response…

I sighed and waited a bit before I heard a: "What are you doing, Keisuke? I thought I told you to go in Erika's room?" it was Ryuji. I looked up and saw him with a young adult… he wore a Hudie jacket over a pale blue shirt with a collar and had black pants. He had black shoes and short blonde hair. He looked 5'10 tall.

"I tried, but she wouldn't let me in!" I said. Ryuji then groaned and said: "Oh for Pete's sake…" he then went up to the door and banged on it with his fist three times before he said: "ERIKA? What's going on in there?" The door then opened and I saw this Erika that Ryuji was talking about…

She had a yellow garment that was like a tank top and skirt that went down to her hips in one. She had white slippers on and (oddly enough) a Hudie jacket that was knotted around her chest and covered up her back. She had navy blue hair that was hard to see because of the jacket… it was bound into two ponytails and looked very long, appearing to go down to her knees, but I wasn't quite sure… she was also holding a whale-like doll for some reason, although I thought I saw something weird on its underbelly… she looked 5'3 tall.

Erika then said: "Oh hi, Ryuji. Is everyone ready for the meeting?" "Yes, including our newbie. Why didn't you let him in?" Ryuji said. Erika then looked at me and when she saw me, she looked down and said: "Oh…" Ryuji then looked impatient and said: "Well?" "Will you get me that PC I wanted?" Erika asked Ryuji. "What does that have to do with this?" Ryuji asked. There was a pause before Ryuji crossed his arms and said: "Ugh… I'll think about it if you apologize to Keisuke." Erika then looked at me and said: "I'm sorry." "Thank you…" I said back. The blond guy chuckled and said: "That's Erika's big brother for you! Although you were really acting more like her father than her brother." Ryuji looked annoyed before he put his hand on the blond guy's shoulder and said: "That's enough, Chitose. Now come on—let's get this started." We all then walked into the room Erika had walked out of and I saw it…

It looked like Erika was using it as an office, although it wasn't a very good one… there was a stand at ground level where there was a computer on it. There were also some wire racks around the area functioning as cheap shelving and it was really dark in here… the only light in here was coming from the computer… Erika then sat by the computer and Ryuji and Chitose sat around her. I then sat across from Erika and Ryuji said: "First off, I'd like to introduce our newbie, Keisuke. He helped in our attempt to hunt down Shiga." Erika nodded before Chitose grinned and said: "Whoa-ho! You took down a criminal like Shiga when you were just starting out? Not bad! Of course, I'm sure Ryuji was a big help in all that."

"You're absolutely right about that—I wouldn't have succeeded without him, and I appreciate that." I said. Chitose then turned to Ryuji and said: "Looks like the newbie has a pretty good attitude, Ryuji." Ryuji nodded and said: "I'm inclined to agree." Chitose then said: "Well now that we know who you are, I think it's about time we introduced ourselves. My name's Chitose. Data collection and hacking are my specialty. Ryuji is our leader and…" and then Erika said: "My name's Erika. I'm an administrative specialist." I had to keep myself from raising an eyebrow at her claiming this. How could someone like her have that kind of a role when she had no skills in dealing with people?

Chitose then said: "So then, Keisuke…" and I turned to him and he said: "Did Ryuji explain to you what Hudie is?" "He did say that you're a team of hackers, but that's about it. But I didn't expect him to—it wasn't really the time for that." I said. "That is true… well then, I guess I'll explain the whole thing: Hudie is a hacker team for hire, accepting cases to try and make cyberspace a better place. Our primary client is a hacker group called 'Zaxon', which oversees the safety of EDEN. In that sense, we are working for the good of EDEN itself." Chitose said. He then went on: "Of course, we take cases from more clients than just Zaxon, so you'll be seeing other clients during your time here too." "I see." I said back.

Ryuji then said: "Well now that we all know each other, let's move on to the matter at hand: our attempt to hunt down Shiga. Now as for the actual results of that hunt, things went in a direction that was rather… unexpected—" and then Erika said: "What do you mean?" Ryuji then explained the disgusting creature that had presumably eaten Youji and how we had ended the encounter.

He then said: "Our objective was to 'destroy the target account', but it's hard to know if that was what actually happened, because of how that encounter ended…" he then turned to Erika and said: "Erika, can you check to verify the condition of Shiga's account?" "Leave it to me." She said back. Erika then set down the whale-like doll and flipped it over and what I saw next explained everything: there were keys on it and she was typing! This weird thing was actually a wireless keyboard!

Erika looked at her computer monitor for a while before she turned back to us and finally said: "His account is pulling up errors. It must be some kind of glitch." "Uh… I've never heard of a glitch that eats accounts, have you?" Chitose asked. Ryuji then said: "Not a word. We'd better report it to Zaxon." He then went on: "Still, if his account is gone, that means this mission was a success. Well done, everyone." "Great! Sounds like the best result we could have hoped for after what happened…" Chitose said.

Ryuji then got up and Erika said: "Ryuji? Where are you going?" "I have other matters to attend to. Chitose, Erika—one of you, show Keisuke how to use the BBS." Ryuji replied. He then left the room. Chitose then grinned and said: "Ahahaha! That's our leader for you." By now, Erika had gone back to typing on her computer… Chitose then turned to Erika and said: "So who should show him around, Erika?" "You handle it." Erika answered without looking up from what she was doing. Chitose then grinned and turned to me before he said: "Heh-heh, too bad! I'll bet you were hoping to have a pretty young thing show you around, but it looks like you're stuck with me!"

Contrary to Chitose's expectations, I actually was happy with this outcome. I wouldn't have felt comfortable being shown around by someone as aloof as Erika. "It's no problem." I said. I then turned to Erika and said: "Alright then, I'm off. It was nice meeting you, Erika." "Uh-huh…" Erika said. Chitose and I then left the room.

When we got out, Chitose then said: "Let's look for an open cubicle—I'll create a member ID for you and get you started." We then checked around and I eventually found one nearby Erika's room. "Looks like there's one over here, Chitose." I said. He then came over and said: "Hey, nice going! Okay, I'll log in first and create your member ID." Chitose then sat in the cubicle and logged into his account before some time passed, and then he told me I'd have to create a password. I wrote it down and then he let me enter it and after a bit more time passed, he said: "Okay, your account's been created! Now it's your turn—try logging in." and he got up.

I then sat at the cubicle and managed to log in with my ID. I saw the background change in color before Chitose said: "Now you're on the Hudie site that's for members only. You can access certain apps and programs from here that guests can't. Speaking of which, I'll show you the BBS now. Do you see that maroon icon, Keisuke?" "Yes." I said. "Double click it." Chitose said. I then did so and a screen came up with four tabs and a few horizontal bars underneath some of them… the tabs were labeled 'all', 'important', 'normal' and 'Digifarm'. I was confused, and it seemed my expression revealed that, because Chitose said: "Ha ha. Look confusing? Well it's not as bad as it looks. I'll walk you through it."

He then went on: "This is the BBS. It's a software that organizes cases from clients for us to take. The cases themselves are organized under the tabs on the upper part of the screen and are organized by the most recent ones first. It also keeps a record of completed quests, even after you've done them, but they're kept on the bottom and have a purple star over them to show they've been completed. Anyway, the tab labeled 'all' displays all the quests there are, without organizing them beyond how I've just said. The tab labeled 'important' has high priority cases. The tab labeled 'normal' has lower priority cases that are good for a rainy day. And the tab labeled 'Digifarm' has requests from a special client, although we haven't identified who it is yet... it's almost always blank anyway, so my advice would be not to pay too much attention to it, to be honest."

I checked out all four tabs, and they all had one thing in common: nothing was there! "Umm… it looks like we're fresh out of cases…" I said. Chitose grinned and said: "Well it looks like we're keeping up pretty well then!" He then went on: "Well how about this—I'll give you a case you can do for me. I'll need a little bit of time to type it up, but it'll be good to go soon!" "Sure. Thank you." I said.

Chitose sure was getting to work fast. All the same, I couldn't help but wonder about him and what he was doing here though… Chitose then said: "Hmm? What is it?" I then looked up and he said: "I can tell something's on your mind, so go ahead and say it—I'll try and help how I can." "Thank you. I was just wondering… how come you joined Hudie, Chitose?"

"Well I wanted to polish my hacking skills, for one. But in addition to that, I also had an interest in impressing the ladies. Believe it or not, some pretty cute girls are in the world of hacking, and I wanted to get a piece of the action!" He replied. I was a little surprised at how up front he was about his last point and didn't say anything…

And then he lowered his voice as he said: "And some aren't that far away at all. I mean, the girl who works here as a receptionist isn't bad on the eyes at all, for one. Heh-heh..." And then he went on: "But I've got dibs, so hands off!" "WHAT? She's not even my age!" I said back. "Heh-heh. That's right Keisuke—she's not." Chitose said.

I was still a little dumbfounded, but then Chitose said: "Well that's enough about me. What did you join Hudie, Keisuke?" I then told him my story about my account getting stolen and my attempt to get it back and then Chitose said: "I see. So you want your account back…" he then went on: "Well I suppose it was good of you to get on that sooner rather than later, but make sure you don't act as recklessly as you did when you were going into the Digimarket again—we don't want to have to worry about your safety after all." "Thank you, Chitose." I said back. He nodded and said: "I'll go post that case now. Keep your eyes peeled for it!" I nodded and he went off.

I kept watching the BBS and a few minutes later, I saw a case come in from Chitose! I checked it and he wanted me to go and buy some computer parts from a shop in Nakano… it was in Nakano Broadway and Chitose had included a list of parts to get. This looked more like an errand than an actual case… nonetheless, it beat sitting around here, so I took the case. I then departed for Nakano.

When I arrived, I went into the building and walked up to an intersection by an escalator and turned right and prepared go further… before someone crashed into me and knocked me down! I got up and looked at him… he was a tall guy with white shoes, dark blue pants, as well as a black shirt and he had black, fingerless gloves. He looked like he wasn't from around here…

The guy then rose and he said: "Whoops! Sorry! I was on my way to get to the fourth floor and went too fast…" "It's alright. What are you doing here, though? You look like a tourist." I asked. "I'm actually working here for my summer vacation. I came to Japan to sightsee and decided to get more involved. My name's Simon Hayes. Who are you?" the guy asked. "Keisuke. Keisuke Amasawa. Well, welcome to Japan, Simon." I said. "Thanks, Keisuke! And I'm sorry again about bumping into you. Why don't you go first as my apology?" Simon asked. "Alright. Thank you." I said. He seemed like a good guy… I know I hadn't heard of many people working in other countries during their time off from school… I then went around him and turned around the corner and went down the hall towards the shop that Chitose had mentioned.

When I arrived at the shop, I bought everything Chitose directed me to and went back around the corner to get back to the entrance, but as I was about to turn around the corner to get to the stairs, I saw a door to a room nearby. I never noticed it before and was curious… I then heard a chuckle, followed by a: "Ah, it looks like someone else has come by… are you in need of a detective?"

I then turned around and saw a young woman who had blonde hair that went down to her shoulders and wore a white shirt with a yellow cape and a black skirt with black shoes. "Huh? No, I was just noticing this place… I never saw it before." I said back. The woman chuckled again before she said: "Is this your first time in Broadway?" "No, I usually come here with a friend…" I said. The woman then looked a little more surprised as she said: "Hmm… I'm surprised you haven't seen it then… do you go around and take the elevator?" "Yes, I normally do." I said. The woman then looked a little more relaxed before she said: "Ah, that makes sense then. So you just never passed by…"

Then she went on: "Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm sorry. My name is Kyoko Kuremi. I'm in charge of the reliable Kuremi Detective Agency you were looking at." I was a little surprised at this and she went on: "Would you care to come inside? I can tell you more there." I wasn't sure why she was offering, but I still said: "Alright…" and went with her inside her office…

It was wide room with a desk with a computer on it, various shelves, a whiteboard, two couches that were directly across from each other and a radio. Kyoko then said: "I am a cyber sleuth, and I specialize in investigating cyber-crime. Is there anything troubling you that I can help with?" This made me think of the mystery I was trying to solve of who stole my account, but I was determined to do that on my own…

"There is, but I'll be fine. I want to solve it on my own." I said. "Wow, what resolve… alright. But if you need help, you can come here anytime." Kyoko said. "Thank you, Kyoko." I said. "Well to send you off, I'll treat you to a new coffee recipe I made…" she said as she went off to another room and she went on: "It's coffee with strawberries, tofu and bananas, known for their stress-reducing properties, combined with fish for health and oyster sauce…"

Was she _joking_?! That sounded vile! I wasn't sure I wanted to just walk out, but man… Kyoko eventually came out with two cups of coffee and she said: "Here you go…" and prepared to hand me one cup of coffee that smelled putrid… but then I felt my phone vibrate! I looked down at it and (without checking who it was from) I said: "Oh, it's a call from my boss. I'm sorry, but I can't miss this. I've got to go." "Hmm… that's too bad. Oh well. Just remember me if you have need of a cyber sleuth." Kyoko said. "I will, thanks!" I said as I quickly left.

As soon as I closed the door, I checked my phone again and saw it was Yu! I then answered it as I started walking up the stairs and said: "Hello?" and I heard him say: "Keisuke, YOOOOOUU!" Thinking that poison-brewing cyber sleuth may be behind me, I said: "Oh hi, Yu. I got what you wanted. What's going on?" "What? I didn't ask you for any—" Yu began and I hurried up the stairs (trying to leave where Kyoko could be in earshot) and said: "Oh, I'm sorry! I completely lost track of the time! I'll be back right away!" "What?! Quit joking around!" Yu said. "Okay, I'll be back at the office before 1:30, I promise!" I said. "…Are you feeling alright, Keisuke?" Yu asked. Now that I was on the next floor up, I said: "…Sorry about that, Yu. There was someone I had to get away from back there. Thanks for being such a sport."

"Huh? Someone you had to 'get away from'? Like who?" Yu asked. I then recounted how I had been pulled into the detective agency and that nightmare coffee Kyoko had tried to give me and by the time I was done, Yu said: "WHAT? She seriously was going to give you coffee with strawberries, bananas, tofu, oyster sauce and… fish?!" "Yes…" I said back. "I see… I can't say I blame you then… I'd sooner drink sewage than that!" Yu said. "You've got that right. Yu, you have no idea how much I owe you for this." I said.

"Well you can repay your debt to me to me right now. I'm actually in the neighborhood too and wanted to talk to you. Can you come to K-Cafe?" Yu asked. "You bet. See you there!" I said. I then went up to the fourth floor and K-Cafe.

When I arrived, I saw Yu sitting at a table and I approached him and sat across from him before I said: "So what's on your mind?" Yu shook his head before he said: "How about you taking off and going off on your own in cyberspace, despite our arrangement?! How could you just take off and leave me with that lame text message?!" "Sorry Yu. I was just too worried—" I began and then Yu said: " _YOU_ were worried? How do you think I felt?"

I looked down and said: "Heh… I thought you'd say something like that. But I didn't want you to get sucked into this—" and then Yu said: "Come on Keisuke, did you really think I would just stand by during all that?" I then immediately looked up and said: "What do you mean?" "Even after I got your text, I went to the Digimarket anyway. I was hoping to catch up to you, but once I discovered you had gone to Under Kowloon, I had no choice but to turn around." Yu said. He then went on: "So do you see now? Your concern didn't even stop me. That's what friends do after all." I couldn't believe Yu would do something so rash… I had to admit, he was a lot braver than I gave him credit for. "I'm sorry, Yu." I said again. Yu sighed before he said: "That's better. Now then…" and he paused before he said: "What happened after you took off for Under Kowloon?"

I then told him about buying Lunamon, meeting Ryuji, finding Youji (as well as the mysterious creature that had presumably eaten him) and me joining Hudie. By the end of it, Yu looked really surprised and he said: "You… you joined a team of hackers?!" it seemed he didn't remember we were in front of other people though… "Hey come on, keep it down…" I said. Yu then shook his head and said: "Uh… sorry." And then he went on: "But man, you've really gotten into it this time! Do you even know how to hack?" "I'm picking it up. It's also a lot easier thanks to Lunamon." I said back. "Jeez… well take me with you next time okay? You owe me that much." Yu said.

"I owe you?" I said back, and before I could finish, Yu said: "Yeah! We promised we'd go together and you went on ahead!" "…My advice would be to drop out of that school of thought. That's irrelevant now." I said back. "Wh—what?" Yu said. "Before it was one thing, but we're in the domain of hacking now, and you've never hacked anything before Yu." I said back. "Well—" Yu said and then I went on: "I'll be sure to call you if I need help with something else, but it wouldn't make sense to call you in any case that involves hacking. Please understand."

Yu looked so disappointed, but then he said: "Alright… as long as you'll give me a chance at something. But Keisuke?" "Yes?" I asked. "This isn't going to make us lose touch and gradually drift apart, is it?" Yu asked. "Of course not! I'll still visit you and communicate over phone calls and texts! Don't ever worry about that again!" I said back. Yu then looked relieved and said: "Good… thank you." And then he went on: "Well, I guess I'll take off now. Thank you for explaining everything and good luck in Hudie." I smiled and said: "Sure. No problem."


	8. Simon: A new side of Zaxon

Simon Chapter 5—A new side of Zaxon—

The next day when I checked in, Kyoko said there weren't any new cases, but she did ask me to get some coffee beans from the café on the fourth floor of Broadway. I went off to get them, dreading what Kyoko would make with them, taking the stairs up to the fourth floor. Sure enough, I picked up the coffee beans and then headed back down the way I came, until I got to the second floor, at which point I was in for a surprise as I turned around a corner—I bumped into Nokia!

When she saw me, she grinned and said: "Simon! Thank goodness you're okay! I'm glad you made it out safe from that black shadow monster!" "Yeah… that was close." I said. Nokia then went on: "So what are you doing here, of all places? I thought you'd be sightseeing." "Well, something else came up and I took a temporary job as a cyber sleuth's assistant, so I'm doing that now instead of my original plan." I said. "Huh? A cyber sleuth? What's a cyber sleuth?" Nokia asked. "A cyber sleuth is someone who deals with cybercrime and digital mysteries." I said. "Huh! Well that's sure exciting. Work hard then!" Nokia said.

I smiled and said: "Thanks Nokia. By the way, what brought you to Broadway today?" "I came to buy Jimiken's latest album! There's a CD shop on the second floor that sells them and Jimiken's latest song is awesome!" Nokia said. "Who's Jimiken? A musician I take it?" I asked. "Yup! He's the head performer of his rock group. I've been a fan since he launched his career!" Nokia said. She then went on: "Of course, Jimiken started recently, so he's not a worldwide phenomenon yet, which would explain why you didn't know who he was." "Well, I'm glad to hear it's not just me then." I said. "Mm-hmm. So Simon…" Nokia said before she went on: "If you're not doing any cases now, what do you say we go to Kowloon and train our Digimon? I want to get to know Agumon and Gabumon better and I'll bet it would help you too." "I like that idea. Just let me check with my boss if any new cases have suddenly come in—either way, I'll come back here and tell you, okay?" I asked. "Alright! I'll see you after I get my new CD!" Nokia said.

I then went back to Kyoko's office and I said: "Sorry to keep you waiting!" I then walked up to Kyoko and gave her the coffee beans as I said: "Here are the coffee beans, Kyoko." "Ah, excellent. Thank you, Simon." She said. "So did any new cases come in?" I asked. Kyoko then smiled as she said: "I like your enthusiasm, but no, none have. It's only been about half an hour, after all." She then went on: "That being said, it looks like you have some downtime, so use it wisely, okay?" "You got it!" I said.

I then left her office and went back up to the second floor in front of the CD shop and saw Nokia. When I saw her, I said: "Hey, Nokia. Did you pick up that CD from Chikimen—" And Nokia said: "Uh Simon, did you forget already? It's 'Jimiken'…" "Er—right! Sorry. So did you get it?" I asked. "Yup! So how about it, Simon? Did any new cases turn up?" Nokia asked. "Nope. My boss has let me off the hook, so I'm all clear for some exploring." I said. "Great! Then let's go!" Nokia said.

We then headed off to the fourth floor and using the terminal, we entered Kowloon and when we got there, I called out Growlmon, Agumon and Renamon while Nokia called out Agumon and Gabumon. When Nokia saw my Digimon, she said: "Whoa! Y-You've been busy, haven't you?" "Yeah. Being a cyber sleuth has given me plenty of chances to raise my Digimon partners." I said. "Are those all of yours Simon?" Nokia asked. "No. I also have two more stored in my phone." I said. "Wow! Now you have more than me!" Nokia said. Then she looked over at my Agumon and said: "Aww, and you have an Agumon too!" "Yeah, that's true…" I said. I then saw my Agumon talking to her Agumon behind Nokia. Gabumon was watching. "Well I don't blame you! Agumon's a little cutie!" Nokia said. She then went on: "Well, not that that's an issue. Come on, let's get training!"

We then went around Kowloon, fighting various Digimon as we went. Agumon and Gabumon were a big help and Renamon kept everyone healthy with restorative spells. Eventually, we explored all of the area and when we got to where we had met the 'black shadow' monster, we went back to the previous area, where I eyed a yellow firewall blocking a lift of some kind… "Aww, shucks. Looks like it's over already…" Nokia said. "Well… it doesn't have to be." I said. "Huh? What are you talking about…?" Nokia asked. "Follow me." I said.

I then led her over to the yellow firewall and Nokia said: "So what do you plan to do?" "Just watch this!" I said as I destroyed it with the wall crack skill. Nokia then looked shocked and said: "W-whoa! You… you destroyed it?!" I grinned and said: "Not bad, eh?" "How'd you do it?" Nokia asked. "It's a kind of hacking skill—" I began, but then Nokia said: "HUH? Then you're a hacker too?!" "I just learned how to use some tricks recently. Anyway, long story short is that we can take this lift further up—to Kowloon level 2. Want to try it?" I asked. "O-okay…" Nokia said. We then took it to a whole new level of Kowloon!

When we arrived, we marched on, eventually going into another level of Kowloon after that, and there weren't as many Digimon here… eventually, Nokia said: "This is odd… there aren't as many Digimon around…" "Yeah. It certainly doesn't help with training…" I said. As we continued to move in though, we heard distressed noises! "What… what is that?!" I asked. "Let's go see!" Nokia said. We ran on ahead and saw some baby Digimon being harassed by two teenage tamers! "HEY!" Nokia said. "Hmm? What do you—" One of them said. They turned around and the Digimon took advantage of this opportunity and ran off. "Hey!" The tamer said. He ran after the Digimon, but when he saw they had made it too far away, he stopped trying.

"What'd you do that for?" The other one said. "What are you talking about? What were you doing to them?" I asked. "Couldn't you tell? We were trying to weaken them and catch them!" One of them said. "But… you don't need to! The Digimon capture program lets you scan data and digiconvert Digimon! You don't have to pick on Digimon to add them to your team!" I said. "Pffft, that takes too long! Besides, we're just trying to make use of them, like any normal tamer would." One of them said. "You—you're awful! I'm glad we spared those poor Digimon from having tamers like you!" Nokia said.

"What's it to you?! Maybe it's time we knocked some sense into you know-it-alls." One of them said. Then he called out a Digimon that walked on two legs, had two arms, had green skin and was rather muscular. It wore a brown vest and brown shorts and held a club with nails stuck in it. It had a mahogany Mohawk and stood at about 3'4 tall. The other guy sent out his Digimon; it was a black cat that walked on two legs and had two arms and wore blue gloves with long black claws over its paws. It was shorter than the other creature at 2'10 tall.

I felt my phone vibrate and I saw it said: "Left to right: Goblimon scan data: 20%, BlackGatomon scan data: 15%." It looked like both of these Digimon were virus Digimon, so I sent out Agumon, Armadillomon and Growlmon. Nokia just went with her Agumon and Gabumon. One of them smirked: "Hmph. A tag-team battle, then? Well no matter. Let's get this brawl started!"

"Agumon, burn that Goblimon! Pepper breath! Armadillomon, use grand rock!" I said. "Agumon, you help Simon's too! Coordinate your attacks with him!" Nokia said. Our Agumon then blasted the Goblimon with fireballs while Armadillomon said: "Grand rock!" and he conjured a boulder where Goblimon was before it exploded seconds later and he recovered and BlackGatomon said: "Nightmare 2!" And dark purple energy formed around Growlmon and burst, knocking him down.

As Growlmon got up, Nokia said: "Gabumon, blast the kitty with Blue Blaster!" and Gabumon blew a stream of fire at BlackGatomon, which she basically shrugged off. One of the guys in front of us said: "Goblimon, shock one of those Agumon!" And Goblimon quickly recovered and jumped at my Agumon and smashed him on the head with his club. Agumon fell into a sitting position and looked dazed… Growlmon then said: "Exhaust flame!" And spat up smoky, black fire at BlackGatomon! I then said: "Armadillomon, give BlackGatomon a diamond shell!" And he said: "Diamond shell!" before he curled up into a ball and rolled right up to her and smacked into her… he then rolled right back before Growlmon used another Exhaust Flame on her too and Gabumon even pitched in a Blue Blaster, which knocked her out! "What the…! This isn't good!" BlackGatomon's tamer said. I grinned and said: "Agumon, Armadillomon, go get that Goblimon! Pepper breath and grand rock!" Armadillomon repeated the grand rock move on Goblimon, but Agumon still looked dazed and wouldn't move. "Agumon?" I said. "Alright then Agumon, you take over! Pepper breath! Gabumon, you help too!" Nokia said. Her Digimon then spat fire at the Goblimon who wouldn't get up from the beating he had taken! I then saw the two tamers call their Digimon back and they didn't call any more out—we had won!

I could hear the other tamers start to argue with each other as I said to my Digimon: "Alright! Great job guys!" "You both did great, Agumon! Gabumon!" Nokia said. Gabumon grinned and said: "Thanks Nokia!" and her Agumon smiled and said: "Yeah! That was great!" Armadillomon and Growlmon looked happy enough, but Agumon looked a little downcast and said: "I'm sorry I couldn't help out at the end, Simon…" "It's perfectly fine. We got done what we needed to after all! I'm guessing that was another status condition, right?" I asked. "That's right. That Goblimon used an attack that inflicts the 'stun' status condition, which takes the target out of commission for a short time." Agumon said. "That's pretty nasty…" Nokia said.

When the two tamers finished yelling at each other, one of them said: "Ugh! I can't believe we got trashed by two bleeding hearts like them… what are we going to tell the boss?" and Nokia said: "You're darn right you got trashed! We'd never lose to two creeps like you!"

Just then though, we heard another voice say: "Trashed is right. You kids… don't rock at all!" Nokia looked shocked when she heard the voice while one of the guys said: "Ah! He's here!" And the other said: "Jimiken!" Nokia then said: "Jimiken?! You mean _the_ Jimiken?!"

We all turned around and saw a relatively withered man who wore a black vest, tight-looking black pants and black shoes. He had black hair that went down to the bottom of his neck and wore a weird mask over his face that was white with black lips, a black left eye and had a purple star around the right eye. His arms were surprisingly small too…

The man then said: "Yes, I am Jimiken! Yahooooooooo!" And he turned to the two guys and said: "Hey, I thought you were starting to get good at this? What made you two so un-hip? Tell me right now, ASAP!" and one of them said: "So sorry, Jimiken! There was a second where I was distracted and—" and then Jimiken said: "Oh-ho! An excuse! That's pathetic! It doesn't rock at all!" Then he went on: "If I had to choose my lyrics to suit you two it would be… 'Time to shout, you worthless lout! Even the heavens are gonna give up on you'! It's just perfect for you two, it makes me want to puke. You picking up what I'm putting down?" And one of the guys then said: "Yes! We are!" And Jimiken said: "Good."

"So this scrawny guy is really that Jimiken you were talking about Nokia?" I asked. She didn't respond and Jimiken then said: "HEY! What did you say?" "Nothing, nothing… I just was under the impression that rock stars weren't noodle-armed crooners." I said. With that mask over his face, I couldn't tell what his expression was, but his body language made it clear he was furious and Jimiken said: "Who are you callin' noodle-armed, you big-talking brat?!" "I don't see anyone else in this room who qualifies except you. Seriously, how much can you bench press?" I asked.

Jimiken still looked visibly enraged and then Nokia said: "Jimiken—YOU'RE a hacker?" Jimiken then turned to Nokia and said: "That's riiiight! I am a rock star! But I have one more face—" and I said: "And I'm guessing it's one covered by a goofy mask…" Jimiken then shuddered with anger before he went on: "I'm a high-ranking, all-star hacker in Team Zaxon! Causing all kinds of trouble behind the scenes where no one would expect to find it, baby! It's rock and roll!" Team Zaxon?! But Yuuko had said that Zaxon was a team trying to protect peace in cyberspace… why did they take this guy as a member?! Jimiken then said: "You picking up what I'm putting down?" before Nokia said: "Ugh! Just stop it! This is bad enough as it is! I can't believe I worked so hard and wasted all of my hard-earned money on a total jerk…!" And Jimiken said: "Wasted? On me? Ahahaha! Don't be ridiculous! But what were you doing picking a fight with these low-grade rockers…" Jimiken said as he pointed to the two guys "…Over Digimon for? Why waste your energy like that?"

Nokia looked disgusted as she said: "It is not a waste of energy to help Digimon!" Jimiken burst out laughing before he said: "Ahahaha! I guess some folksy people like you are still around! It rocks a little but… hahaha!" He then went on: "Digimon are tools for hackers. They were just doing normal 'business'…" I rolled my eyes as I said: "Well I'm sure we'd love to continue pretending like we're having fun arguing with you, Jimiken, but if we're talking wasting energy, this is it to a 'T'. So why don't you run off and go do one of your little gigs?"

Jimiken grinned and said: "Oh, I don't 'run' from anything, hence my presence here!" Then he went on: "I'll get you back for messing with my boys, even if they don't rock! Be glad kiddies! You get a private show from me! Ahahahahaha!"

He then called out three Digimon. One of them was a very humanoid Digimon that was even shaped like a human, only covered in flames. It walked on two legs and had two arms. It looked 5'8 tall. The next was a black demon-looking Digimon that walked on two legs, had two long arms and two tattered wings and two horns that stuck out horizontally quite some ways out of its head and then pointed up. It had a red bat pattern in the middle of its torso. It looked 6 feet tall. The last Digimon was a Guilmon, like Growlmon used to be. I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Meramon scan data: 15%, Devimon scan data: 15%, Guilmon scan data: 20%." I checked further and saw that Meramon was a data type Digimon, while Devimon and Guilmon were viruses. Jimiken's team would be pretty weak to vaccine Digimon (like our Agumon) if it weren't for that Meramon that was in the way, so I decided to try and take it out first.

I called out Growlmon, Armadillomon and Patamon while Nokia went with Agumon and Gabumon again. Nokia then said: "Agumon, burn up that red lizard with Pepper Breath! Gabumon, get the fire guy with Blue Blaster!" And Agumon spat a fireball at Jimiken's Guilmon who recoiled and Gabumon breathed that stream of blue fire at Meramon. "Patamon, attack Meramon with your Air shot!" I said and Patamon said: "Air shot!" And he spat a clear bubble of air that crashed into Meramon. Devimon then said: "Destruction cannon!" And he lobbed a blob of darkness at Gabumon, which hit him head on and knocked him down! Jimiken laughed at Gabumon while Meramon said: "Flaming fist!" and his hands started really burning before he punched Armadillomon. Guilmon then said: "Rock Breaker!" And ran up to Patamon and nailed him with a chop. "Armadillomon, Growlmon, coordinate your attacks! Target the Meramon!" I said. Armadillomon then said: "Grand rock!" and conjured a boulder where Meramon was before it exploded seconds later while Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" And spat up a stream of smoky, black fire at Meramon.

Meramon took Growlmon's attack hard and then Agumon said: "Pepper Breath!" And spat another fireball at Guilmon. Guilmon then got up and ran up to Gabumon and said: "Rock Breaker!" And smacked Gabumon with his arm. Gabumon got up and was panting hard while Patamon and Growlmon then attacked Meramon. Meramon then recovered (although he looked as weak as Gabumon) and then he said: "Flaming fist!" And punched Agumon with his blazing fists, who took the attack pretty hard. Nokia said: "Gabumon, finish off Meramon! Blue blaster!" And I said: "Armadillomon, you help too! Diamond shell!" And Gabumon blasted Meramon with fire and when he was done, Armadillomon curled into a ball and leapt at Meramon, smacking him squarely in the face and knocked him down. We were thrilled when Meramon didn't get back up though! Jimiken called him back and Devimon frowned and then said: "Destruction cannon!" And lobbed another blob at Gabumon, who fell down and couldn't get up. "I—I can't take anymore…" Gabumon said. Jimiken laughed and said: "An eye for an eye baby, whoa-yeah! That's the first knockout of many!" while Nokia frowned at him and then said to Gabumon: "You did great Gabumon. Now just leave the rest to Agumon and the others." And called him back. Guilmon then said: "Rock Breaker!" and chopped Agumon, who recovered easily enough. I then prepared to call Patamon back as I said: "Time to switch things up, Patamon! Way to go! Now come on back!" and I called him back as I said: "Agumon, you take over!" and he emerged. Devimon then said: "Death claw!" and he flew directly at my Agumon at high speed before grabbing him and purple energy flowed from Agumon into Devimon and Devimon then threw Agumon down. Agumon got back up, but looked unexpectedly rattled…

I then said: "Agumon, Armadillomon, attack Devimon! Growlmon, hit Guilmon with an exhaust flame!" Agumon then said: "Heavy strike!" and ran up to Devimon and hit him with his claws before Armadillomon said: "Diamond shell!" and rolled up to Devimon and smacked him again. Growlmon then said: "Exhaust flame!" and burned Guilmon. "Agumon, hit the red lizard with pepper breath!" Nokia said. Her Agumon then said: "Pepper breath!" and spat a fireball at Guilmon. Guilmon fell on his back and wouldn't get up—he was down! Jimiken called him back and said: "Rrgh! Time to get serious! Devimon! Use panic wisp on the Agumon you attacked earlier!" and Devimon said: "Panic wisp!" and conjured a small wisp of red fire that flew at Agumon and hit him. After Agumon got burned, he looked nervous and flustered… but at least I knew how to handle this now!

Agumon then lashed out at Armadillomon and hit him as Jimiken laughed and said: "Didn't expect that, didja?!" and I smirked back and called back Armadillomon before I called in Renamon and said: "Renamon—cure Agumon." And Renamon said: "Anti-panic!" and she cast a healing spell that restored some of Agumon's health and removed the effects of the panic condition! "Whaaaat?!" Jimiken said as Agumon returned to normal. Nokia then said: "Yeah, that's it! Just like that, Simon! Agumon, hit him!" and her Agumon used another pepper breath. "So you've got someone who can remove panic huh…? Well let's see how you deal with this then—Devimon! Use panic wisp on the Renamon!" and Devimon said: "Panic wisp!" and burned Renamon with the red wisp this time.

"So that's how we're going to do things, huh? I see… then let's do this…" I said as I called back Growlmon and sent in Armadillomon before I said: "Agumon, hit Devimon with a heavy strike! Armadillomon, use shock on Devimon!" And Agumon said: "Heavy strike!" and he ran up and hit Devimon with his claws! Armadillomon then leapt at Devimon and said: "Shock!" and he swiped at Devimon's head with his claws! Devimon then fell to his knees and I said: "Great job, Armadillomon! Just like that!" and Jimiken said: "Whaaat?! Get up, Devimon!", but Devimon stayed down. Renamon then ran up and hit Devimon before Nokia said: "Agumon, keep that fire coming!" and her Agumon said: "Pepper breath!" and burned Devimon again!

Devimon still couldn't attack (and Renamon had regained her senses), so I said: "Attack together everyone!" and Nokia said: "Go Agumon! Finish him off!" and Renamon said: "Gaia element!", Armadillomon said: "Diamond shell!" and my and Nokia's and Agumon said: "Pepper breath!" and they all attacked together and Devimon fell down—but he didn't get up! We had defeated Jimiken!

"YES! We did it!" Nokia said, while I grinned and said: "Darn right! Good job everyone!" and Jimiken looked shocked as he called his Devimon back and said: "Whaaat?! These Digimon are too weak! How lame!" Nokia then grimaced and said: "It's not your Digimon's fault! You're the lame one!" "Indeed. I must admit that you were a worthy opponent… but on the other hand, you're the loser." I said.

Jimiken then started laughing madly and then said: "Oh-ho! So you'd even admit my strength huh? That's a good sign!" I then frowned and said: "Oh please. What do you think, we're going to become your fans?" Jimiken then said: "Well just so you know… when I was using Devimon, Meramon and Guilmon, I wasn't serious yet. I was only testing your abilities." He then went on: "I've got two more Digimon that are both stronger than any of them… and they'll have you head banging for sure when this is over! You picking up what I'm putting down?"

I frowned, but then I heard someone say: "That's enough! This show is over!" and I turned to see Yuuko and Fei approaching! One of the two guys then said: "Oh man… this is bad!" and the other said: "Run!" And they both ran past Yuuko and Fei as fast as their legs would carry them.

"Oh-ho! Well look who's here! If it isn't little Miss Yuuko, founder of team Zaxon! And little Miss Fei, the co-founder!" Jimiken said. "Huh?" I said. As if no one heard me, Jimiken went on: "So what are you two doing here? 'Cuz I'm kind of in the middle of something right now." Yuuko frowned and said: "You wouldn't be acting so arrogant if you knew what we were here to do, Jimiken." Jimiken laughed and said: "Ahahahaha! So what, are you going to axe me for real? Really? Ahahaha!" "Don't laugh. They're strong." I said. Yuuko smiled briefly before Fei said: "Hmph. Is that any way to talk to your bosses?" "Ah, that's your problem. You two are all rank-and-file. Where's the rock in that?" Jimiken said. "This is Team Zaxon, not a band you idiot! And to tell the truth, we're not happy about how you and your cronies are affecting our public image… or breaking our rules." Yuuko said.

"Rules? Who needs 'em? Those don't rock either!" Jimiken said. This guy was truly dumb… Fei then said: "You don't break Team Zaxon's rules. And you know what we reserve the right to do if someone breaks them as far as you have, Jimiken…" "Right. Which brings me to your punishment, Jimiken—" Yuuko began, and then Jimiken said: "Oh my gosh, I'm quaking in my boots here! What do you think you can do to me?" and Yuuko went on: "—You are banished from Team Zaxon and all of your funds and assets you made while being a member have been confiscated." Jimiken laughed madly before he said: "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a rock star! Those funds I had were small change compared to what I make working—and I took out everything that was even remotely valuable already! Ahahaha!"

"Hmph. You want it to get worse, then?" Fei said as she approached him. "Fei, don't waste your energy on him—" Yuuko began before Jimiken laughed madly and said: "Oooh! I'm terrified! Ahahaha! Why am I even wasting my time talking to you anyway?! So long Yuuko, Fei! Enjoy being stuck in your un-hipness!"

And then Jimiken went off. "What an idiot." I said. Fei nodded and said: "He's all talk." Then she went on: "I've heard of being a glutton for punishment, but that was downright stupid." And we all laughed before I said: "So you two were the founders of Team Zaxon? I had no idea…" Yuuko then said: "Well, we don't pass out that information to people we don't know. We didn't mean anything by it Simon, but… don't let a word of this get out, okay?" "Sure." I said. Then I went on: "How did you find him?" "We traced his digivice's location back from the Zaxon forum. It helped that you kept him in one place for so long, so thank you both." Yuuko said. "No problem." I said. "Sure…" Nokia said.

Yuuko then said: "Well I hope you don't let Jimiken affect your image of Team Zaxon. We don't let people like that work their magic if we can help it and we only just found out about Jimiken's hijinks. I'm sorry he caused you some trouble too." "Well, it really helped that you came when you did. And of course, it was cool getting to humble an 'all-star hacker' so early on!" I said. Fei then turned to Yuuko and said: "Yuuko, shouldn't we get those other idiots who ran off?" Yuuko then turned to Fei and said: "Yes, you're right…" before she turned to us and said: "Thank you once again. We'd welcome you anytime!" And she and Fei ran off.

Nokia then frowned and said: "Arrrgh! I can't believe Jimiken was such a creep!" "But at least we defeated him. That wasn't too bad either." I said. Nokia then grinned and said: "Yup! That was an amazing experience! I guess our training worked!" "It sure did for the moment. We ought to keep it up though." I said. "Well of course! That goes without saying! Speaking of which, let's get back to the entrance at Galacta Park, okay? Poor Gabumon is beat." Nokia said. "Yeah. Let's go!" I said.

We then rushed back to Galacta Park and Nokia said: "Ahh, it feels better to be out of that dangerous place. Thanks for coming along, Simon!" "No problem. So what are you going to do now, Nokia?" I asked. "Eh? I'll work something out. Unlike you, I live in Japan, so I'm not on as tight of a schedule as you happen to be." Nokia said. I looked down and said: "That's true…" "What? Down in the dumps already, Simon?" Nokia asked. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." I said. "Hmm… well, thanks for coming with me! It'd be fun if we could do this again!" Nokia said. "Yeah. I agree. See you around Nokia." I said.

Nokia and I then went off our own separate ways. I went to the Digilab and healed my Digimon before I went on my way to teleportation pad to log out back to Broadway, but then my phone rang. I answered it and said: "Hello?" I heard Kyoko say: "Hi Simon. It's me." "Hi Kyoko. What's going on?" I asked. "We have a case waiting at the office, and it's a big one. Come by first thing, alright?" Kyoko asked. "That's fine by me—I was on my way there right now anyway." I said. "Great. See you there." Kyoko said. And I hurried off and logged out.


	9. Keisuke: An EDEN for all

Keisuke Chapter 4—An EDEN for all—

After Yu and I left K-Cafe, he took off while I went back to Ikebukuro. When I arrived at the office, I found Chitose and approached him. He then turned around and said: "Oh, Keisuke!" "Hi Chitose. I have some good news! I got the parts you wanted!" I said. "Oh, that's great! I'm glad you did that…" Chitose said before he went on: "…Except it took you a lot longer to finish than I expected." Suddenly I froze. I remembered the conversation I had with Kyoko and the other one with Yu. Was he going to discipline me for this?

Chitose then said: "Yeah… that took a while. I may just have a conversation with Ryuji about whether or not you're a keeper after all—" and then I said: "WHAT?!" and Chitose then laughed before he said: "Come on! As if I'd do something like that! I'm sorry I put you through that, but that was just an exercise to prepare you for cases with outside clients. Remember—we don't know how patient they'll be and the odds are good that they're not going to be as patient as Ryuji is or as patient as I am. So make sure you manage your time the best you can, okay? Our team is depending on you to protect our reputation!"

I gave a sigh of relief before I said: "Thank you, Chitose. I'm really sorry about the delay—" and then Chitose said: "It's alright! It was your first case after all. Now let's see those parts!" and I handed them over and he said: "Looks like they're all here! That's great! I'll send you your reward soon, so make sure you check the BBS to claim it!" "Got it! Thank you Chitose!" I said.

I then went into the area with the cubicles and logged in before I went back to the case on the BBS and got my reward from Chitose—he actually was pretty generous, because he gave me an amount of yen that more than reimbursed me for the items I had to buy for him. I then checked for more cases, and there was one Ryuji posted on behalf of a client. I immediately checked it and it said I was supposed to go and investigate some rumors that were surfacing in Kowloon. Apparently, there were cats appearing in the part of Kowloon known as 'Galacta Park' and there was also a cyber witch that had the power to force people to log out of Kowloon and into an unknown realm! I was supposed to verify if these were substantiated or fake. This sounded a little thrilling… until I got to the next part. Ryuji also said that Erika would be accompanying me on this case…

I sighed and took the case before I prepared to go to Erika's office. I knocked on the door, hoping this wouldn't turn into a replay of last time. A second later, I heard Erika say: "Come in." I breathed a sigh of relief before I opened it and entered. I then closed it behind me and Erika turned around before I said: "Hi Erika." And then she said: "Oh hey… you're here on my brother's case, right? He already told me all about it." "That's right. Are you ready to go now?" I asked. "I was supposed to go as soon as we both were filled in on the details, so I guess that has to be now. Alright, let me shut this down…" Erika said.

She then closed the windows and programs she had open with surprising speed before she shut it down and said: "Done. Okay, let's go." I nodded and we went to the cubicles before Erika said: "Ryuji said we'd need to go to Galacta Park… which is in Kowloon level 1. I'm assuming you have the URL for Kowloon, right Keisuke?" "No. Ryuji gave me the URL for Under Kowloon, but not for Kowloon." I said. "Really? Then I'll give you the URL. Here…" Erika said as she went over to a cubicle's computer (and I followed in suit).

Erika then took out her whale-like keyboard (and it seemed she connected to the computer wirelessly as she was typing, because I saw the screen pull up windows without her using its keyboard) and started typing before I felt my phone vibrate. I looked at it and saw I had received the URL to Kowloon. "That looks like it'll do it. So let's log in and meet there." Erika said. "Sure. See you there!" I said. I then went to a neighboring computer and logged into EDEN, heading to Kowloon…

When I arrived, I was in the middle of a passageway made of blue blocks, with floating ones surrounding the area. All of the light there had a blue shade, and in that sense it wasn't that different from Under Kowloon. All the same though, Erika wasn't here… "ERIKA?" I said. No one answered…

Just then though, I saw Lunamon appear next to me. When I saw her, I forgot all about Erika and said: "Lunamon!" and Lunamon smiled and said: "Hi Keisuke. It's good to see you again!" I smiled and said: "It's good to see you too. But boy, you sure appeared fast though…" "Well what's so surprising about that? You sent me out, didn't you Keisuke?" Lunamon asked. "No." I said back. "Huh? Wow, I see… no wonder you're so surprised…" Lunamon said.

"Yeah… I guess my phone must automatically summon you whenever I enter cyberspace." I said. "Well I suppose that's more convenient. It saves you a step after all." Lunamon said. I smiled and said: "That's true. You sure know how to look on the bright side of things, Lunamon!" Lunamon smiled and said: "Well of course! I may be associated with the moon, but that doesn't mean I don't have my bright side!" And we both laughed together.

Just then though, I heard a: "There you are. I'm surprised you got here before me—" and I turned to see Erika had arrived before she looked at Lunamon and suddenly looked shocked before she said: "Wait—what is that thing?!" "This is Lunamon. She's my Digimon who helped Ryuji and I hunt down Youji when we were in Under Kowloon." I said. I then turned to Lunamon and said: "And Lunamon, this is Erika. She's someone I work with." "Oh, I see. Well it's nice to have the chance to meet some of your friends at least." Lunamon said. She then turned to Erika and said: "Hi Erika. I know Keisuke told you already, but I'm Lunamon. It's a pleasure to meet you." "So you're a Digimon program? You're a lot more personable than I thought you'd be…" Erika said.

For the first time ever, I saw Lunamon frown and she said: "I am NOT a program! I'm a living creature, just like you!" "But you can only exist in cyberspace, right?" Erika said. "That may be true… but that doesn't change anything! After all, Digimon get hungry and sleepy and need care, just like you do!" Lunamon said. "Since when? Last time I checked, programs don't eat or sleep." Erika said. "I already told you: I am NOT a program!" Lunamon said.

I was starting to feel uncomfortable and I said: "Well anyway, now that we're here, it looks like it's about time to start. Lunamon will be a great help to us too." "That's true. Since I don't have any Digimon, I'll be counting on you and her to keep us safe." Erika said. I was surprised when I heard this and I said: "…You really don't use Digimon, Erika?" "No. I just use old fashioned analog hacking. That's how I've always done it. Everyone else did too, before Digimon became more popular." Erika said. "I see. Well, I guess we'd better be off then. Our job was to look for cats and a cyber witch, so let's keep our eyes peeled!" I said. Erika nodded and we took off.

As we headed forward, we eventually came up to Galacta Park… the area looked like a playground that had fallen into disrepair with the passage of time. "Well, this looks like a place that could hide some clues, wouldn't you say?" I asked. Erika then nodded and said: "Let's search." Erika then went over by some tires while I went over to a swing set. I looked around and didn't see anything in the immediate area… I turned around, but as I looked up, I thought I saw something white out of the corner of my eye… I turned to it and saw… a white cat, balanced on the bar on the top of the swing set! "A-ha!" I said. The cat then looked down at me and then hopped off onto a block before it hopped onto the ground and then ran further in!

I also heard Erika say: "Another one?!" and I turned to see a black cat sprinting out of a pipe and it sprinted off towards the white cat! We both stood there for a second and Erika said: " _Cats_ in cyberspace? Something seems a little off about this…" "Could they have been a kind of Digimon as well?" I asked. "No way. Didn't you see them? They looked just like the kinds we'd find on Earth." Erika said.

I then turned to her and she said: "Still, that's one of the two mysteries solved. We just need to find that cyber witch now." "That's true. Well, let's keep moving! Something has to be further ahead!" I said. "You're likely right about that. Let's go!" Erika said. We then ran on in.

We then arrived at a pathway that had a gigantic pile of rubble blocking the path forward, but at least there was a path on the right. The cats were long gone though… "Looks like they got away… I said. "Well that doesn't matter. I'm going to see if I can find anything unusual in the area…" Erika said. "Huh? What do you mean?" I asked. As if she didn't hear me, Erika then took out her whale-like keyboard and started typing on it (and a small screen of data appeared in front of her…) and there was a pause before Erika said: "…What is this?!"

"What? What is it?" I asked. "It looks like there is another realm in this area… but it's heavily protected! It's so weird… the logs are encrypted and update themselves in real time! There's no chance to hack into it at all through normal means…" Erika said. "Another realm? Could that be where the cyber witch is?" I asked. "It must be." Erika said. She kept trying for a few minutes, but nothing happened… it looked like she wasn't getting anywhere…

"Hmm… yeah. There's no way to get in normally. I see. In that case…" Erika said and then she paused before she said: "YES! Okay, we're in!" "WHAT? You found a way in there?" I asked. "Yes. Now hold on, we're going in!" Erika said. Then there was a flash of light! When the flash was gone, I saw I was in a white room with four computer terminals in a square formation and an odd circular pad in the far righthand side of the room, but there was a woman sitting in a chair looking at a laptop computer across from me! She was wearing a purple-and-white shirt, black pants and white laced boots. She also had short purple hair.

I looked around for Erika and Lunamon… and saw only Lunamon next to me! What happened to Erika?! I then heard the woman say: "Ah, it looks like it worked… the correct person has arrived." I then turned to her and said: "What are you talking about? Do you know something about my where my friend went?" "…Maybe. But as long as we're gathering information, why don't you tell me this: Were you looking for this place at all, or were you an unwilling accomplice to your friend you're referring to?" the woman asked.

"No, I wasn't looking for this place. Well it is true that I was looking for a cyber witch inside of Kowloon who takes people away, but I never intended to end up here… I was only investigating." I said. The woman didn't respond for a little while and then finally said: "Hmm… alright, I'll believe you. But to think that my invitations have created rumors of abduction and a cyber witch… things get so out of hand when you welcome a few visitors, hee-hee…"

"WHAT? So the cyber witch who takes people to another realm… is you?" I asked. "I am no witch. I'm simply a lover of Digimon, in charge of keeping this facility—the Digilab—up and running for sympathizers of Digimon. I welcome tamers of Digimon who are worthy into this place so they can cultivate meaningful relationships with their Digimon… like you for one." The woman said. "Huh? So you're saying that you're why I got in here?" I asked. The woman shook her head and said: "Think for a moment: why do you think your friend isn't here if she supposedly hacked her way into the Digilab?"

I paused before I said: "You kept her out?" "Exactly. I saw how nice you've been to your Lunamon, so I let you in because of what a promising tamer you are… but I judged her as unworthy, and so I did not allow her entry into this place. She wouldn't have much use for anything here, really… only a lover of Digimon would find any value in anything here." The woman said.

"I see. That's a harsh assessment, but… I'm glad you let me in anyway. By the way, my name's Keisuke. Who are you?" I asked as I extended my hand. The woman took it and shook my hand as she said: "My name is Mirei. Welcome to the Digilab, Keisuke." She then went on: "Now as long as you're here, would you care to learn more about what the Digilab has to offer?" "You bet!" I said back. Mirei grinned and said: "Good answer. Alright, we'll go through it step-by-step. First of all, each computer terminal in this area has a designated purpose. The one on the upper-left is a machine that you can use to heal your Digimon. Your Lunamon isn't hurt, so you don't have any use for it this time, but do remember it for when you come back—" and then I said: "Come back? So I can return here anytime?" "Exactly. Your phone has the URL to the Digilab saved, so you can come back here anytime." Mirei said. "Oh, that's great!" I said.

"Yes it is. Anyway, the one on the lower-left lets you access your farm islands, which are islands where Digimon are designated to be raised. If you have more Digimon than your device can carry, you can leave them on a farm island for them to stay in and grow on if you have farm goods…" Mirei began before she pointed to the upper-right hand terminal and said: "Which you can buy there." Then she said: "The one on the lower right is where you can go to relocate the Digimon on your device from traveling with you to your farm islands, or vice-versa, as well as digivolve them and even digiconvert new Digimon to take with you." "I see. So that's how you create new Digimon with the Digimon capture program." I said. "Yes, exactly. Choose the digiconvert option to create Digimon that you've scanned 100% or more data of. And lastly, the teleportation pad on the far right will teleport you to places with Digimon you've already visited, if you want to collect more scan data or have more battles." Mirei said.

"That's really handy! Thanks Mirei!" I said. "You're welcome. But Keisuke?" Mirei said and I turned to her before she said: "Please don't tell anybody about the Digilab, okay? I want to make sure only the right people are allowed in." "Don't worry; I'll won't tell anyone." I said back. Mirei smiled and said: "Good. Thank you. By the way, one last thing…" and she walked up to me and I said: "Hmm?" She then took my hand and held it for a second… before I felt a large amount of energy come into it! "Wha—what did you…?!" I began and then Mirei said: "Don't worry, I've just given you the ability to use hacking skills. They are helpful skills that will help you get through certain kinds of obstacles you may encounter in cyberspace. You can look them up on your device if you don't understand." I then smiled and said: "That sounds really handy! Thanks, Mirei!"

"Sure. And that's all I had for you. Now then, take as much time as you need." Mirei said. I nodded and then went over to the terminal on the lower right and Lunamon said: "What are you doing, Keisuke? I thought we had to return to Erika?" "We do, but as long as we're here, I'm going to digiconvert some friends for you. Plus it will help us to be prepared." I said. Lunamon then smiled and said: "I like that idea! And it could really help us in the future too. Let's do it!"

I nodded and looked over what Digimon I could digiconvert. Surprisingly, I had enough scan data for each kind of Digimon I had seen—Botamon, Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon! I then proceeded to start by digiconverting Botamon. An egg emerged before Lunamon and I and within seconds, I saw it start hatching! In a few moments, I saw a Botamon break down the egg shell, and it was there, right before me! When I saw it, I smiled and picked up Botamon as I started petting it and said: "Alright! Welcome to the world, buddy! I'm Keisuke. It's nice to meet you!" Botamon then smiled and I set it down by Lunamon and said: "Look at this Lunamon—here's your first friend!" Botamon hopped over to her and she said: "Hi!" and Botamon smiled at her too!

I grinned and went back to work digiconverting more Digimon. I digiconverted Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon (and had the same experiences with them) and then when they were all together, I turned to them and said: "Alright everybody, let's go to Kowloon! There's going to be all kinds of things for you to see there!" Botamon, Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon all then hopped up and down and came along as we prepared to leave. But then I thought of something: if Erika saw any of my new Digimon, it would be harder to act like nothing had happened while I was away… I came to a quick decision and turned to Botamon, Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon as I said: "Oh wait— I forgot something. I need to call you back to my phone, but I'll call you back out soon, okay? I promise." And then I did so for all of them (except Lunamon, who Erika already knew was with me) and then I said: "Let's go, Lunamon."

"Why did you do that, Keisuke?" Lunamon asked. "Because they weren't with me when I came in." I said back. Lunamon then grinned and said: "Oh, now I get it. You don't want Erika to catch on… but even so, how are you planning to keep your Digimon hidden if we run into anything dangerous?" "I'm not." I answered back. "Huh?" Lunamon said. "Don't worry Lunamon—just trust me. I may not look it, but I'm thinking ahead." I said back. "Umm… okay." Lunamon said. We then teleported back to our previous position in Kowloon.

When we arrived, Erika was further ahead, looking around a corner. It looked like she was looking around for us… she then yelled: "Keisuke! This isn't funny! Are you here or are you not?!" "Aww, you were worried! That's nice." I said back. Erika then immediately gasped and ducked a little before she turned around to me and she frowned a little before she said: "How long have you been there?" "I just got back." I said back. Erika gave a sigh of relief and said: "That's okay then. I'm glad you came back first thing at least."

Then she went on: "But I noticed you said you 'just got back'. But what are you talking about? Just got back from where?" "I found out the what the other realm was—I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it was just Under Kowloon. It looks like it must be a shortcut between Kowloon and Under Kowloon. The scenery is so similar, that I suppose that may be why no one caught on." I replied.

Erika looked skeptical before she said: "Well what about the cyber witch then?" "Yes, about that… when I was being teleported, I saw a female figure in the distance… it was probably an illusion being created, but I guess that was where the rumors came from." I said.

"Hmm… you're not a very good liar, but I guess there's nothing I can do about that." Erika said. "What do you mean? It's no—" I began, but then we heard a scream from further in! "What was _that_?!" I asked. "It came from the other side of this wall! Let's go check it out! Hurry!" Erika said. We then ran around the path and once we got to the other side of the wall, we saw what was going on—there was a Digimon chasing another one!

One of them was like a big bee, but it had two arms that each had three claws at the ends. It had enormous shoulders and a face with two big, red eyes and mandibles for a mouth, as well as antennae that had very small wing-like adornments on the sides. It also had four wings and an incredibly small waist that connected its head to its backside, which was huge and it had a stinger attached that had red spikes around it. It was colored gold and had many black stripes and looked 4'2 tall. The other was a green centipede-like Digimon with ten magenta pinchers (plus two on its backside), big blue eyes and a magenta symbol on its head (which had 2 green antennae attached) and a black stripe on its backside. It also had a purple pincher mouth and looked 1'5 tall.

When Erika saw this, she looked confused and said: "Huh? A Digimon's attacking another Digimon? Why…? They're both Digimon…" "That doesn't matter! Let's help the green one out!" I said. And then I remembered—now was the perfect time for my Digimon to come out! I wasn't sure how to bring them out in a way that would look natural, but then I had an idea…

"Hang on. Let me see if I can try to materialize some more Digimon to help us with this…" I said. I then summoned my Digimon one-by-one and I said: "It worked! Now we're ready!" before Erika said: "Not to be rude, but those don't look very impressive. Here, let me help you…" and she sat down and used her whale-like keyboard again… "What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm going to power up your Digimon so they become stronger and more resistant to damage. Just go!" Erika said. I nodded and then I ran in (with Lunamon, Botamon, Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon following) and then said: "Hey, bumble-brain, behind ya!" and the bee-like Digimon spun around and flew right at us!

I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it: It said: "Waspmon scan data: 15%". It looks like this'll tell me the names of the Digimon I encounter in real time! Now that's handy! I then heard Erika say: "Okay, it's ready!" and I saw red waves of data circle my Digimon, before they looked more confident all of a sudden! I was about to start fighting the Waspmon, but then I thought of something: if I had more Digimon out, it would make us defeat it faster, but it would also expose more of my Digimon to danger at a time… I decided to limit myself to 3. I checked my phone again and it said Waspmon was a virus, which wasn't good for Lunamon, so I called her and Pabumon back and let Tsumemon, Botamon and Punimon take the front lines.

I then said: "Tsumemon, nail scratch!" and Tsumemon leapt at Waspmon before scratching it with its nails on the way down. The Waspmon recovered and then flew at Botamon and stung him! Luckily, Botamon recovered easily enough. I then said: "Attack Waspmon, Botamon and Punimon!" and Botamon and Punimon bounced over to Waspmon and leapt at it and tackled it. Waspmon fell back but rose to a flying position again.

Waspmon then stung Punimon. Punimon managed to recover though, and I had my Digimon attack as they did last time. Botamon and Punimon then hit Waspmon again (although Waspmon was looking tired) and Waspmon flew over them and stung Tsumemon before I said: "Finish it off, Tsumemon! Nail scratch!" and Tsumemon leapt at Waspmon and raked it with its claws before it could get away. Waspmon then fell to the ground and got up… before hastily flying away!

I then grinned and said: "Great job, team! You did it!" and they all hopped up and down and celebrated. I then turned to Erika and said: "And that includes you too, Erika." "Me? You're giving me credit for this?" Erika said. "Yes. After all, you were the one who powered up my Digimon. If you hadn't leveled the playing field, that might not have ended so well." I replied. After that, Erika smiled faintly and said: "Thank you… that's nice of you…" Once my Digimon calmed down, I called them back and let Lunamon take point again. We then heard the centipede-like Digimon say: "Ugh…" and then we both looked up at it. It was shivering in the corner where it was before…

Erika and I then approached it and she said: "Hey, are you okay?" the Digimon then looked up and said: "Oh…! Thank you for saving me. But to answer your question, I'm basically okay… but that Digimon you saved me from—Waspmon—it stung me a few times, so I'm still hurt…" "Hmm…" Erika said. She then said: "Wait for a minute…" and got down and started typing on her whale-like keyboard again…

The centipede Digimon then said: "Why? What are you doing?" as if she didn't hear her, Erika kept typing until green light expanded around the centipede Digimon! "Wah! What are you…?!" the Digimon said, and then Erika said: "Oh, calm down. I've just healed your wounds. Surely you must be feeling better?" the centipede Digimon then stopped and suddenly started jumping up and down as she said: "Yeah, you're right! Thank you so much!"

She then went on: "Wow! You're really nice people. My name is Wormmon. Who are you?" "I'm Erika." Erika said. "My name's Keisuke. Nice to meet you, Wormmon." I said. Wormmon then smiled and nodded as she said: "The pleasure is all mine, hee-hee!" "But there's still something I want to know…" Erika said. "Yes?" Wormmon said. "Why was that Digimon trying to attack you? You're both Digimon…" Erika said. Come to think of it… I should have thought of that too. I didn't even question what the explanation was…

"Ah, that… that was my fault. It started when I fell out of my home world and came to this cyberspace. When I arrived here, I was looking for a way to get back home and I was wandering all over the area. Eventually, I saw a big pile of blue blocks that looked fun to climb, so I climbed up to the top and… I felt so excited when I was up there that I jumped off and landed on that Waspmon. That understandably made him angry, so he was chasing me for it…" Wormmon said. "Even so, he shouldn't have assaulted you for it. You shouldn't blame yourself for his ill-tempered reaction." I said. Wormmon grinned and Erika said: "Wait a minute… your home world? You mean you're not from around here?"

"No. I came from the Digital World, which is where all Digimon are from—" Wormmon began and then Erika said: "WHAT? You mean you're not even from a cyberspace on Earth?" "No. No Digimon is. The only reason any Digimon are here is because this cyberspace is where the Digital World and Earth intersect, and they come into contact regularly." Wormmon said. "But even if there is a 'Digital World', how did you get from it to here?" Erika said.

"I was playing hide-and-seek with my friend, and I was 'it'. I went off looking for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere… I was about to yell that I gave up, when I saw a weird rift in the middle of the forest we were playing in… and I was afraid my friend went through it, so I decided to enter it." Wormmon said, and then Erika said: "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to enter strange phenomena? Particularly when you don't even know what it is?" Wormmon then looked down as she said: "It's clear to me now how stupid that was, but… at the time I was so worried about him that I didn't think about anything else and went straight in."

Erika then crossed her arms and said: "Hmph. I don't know if I even believe it…" Wormmon's head then shot up and she said: "But it's true! All Digimon are from the Digital World!" Lunamon then said: "Yeah, that's right! I came from the Digital World too!" Erika then turned to me and said: "What do you think?" Wormmon and Lunamon were looking at me too. I then smiled and said: "I believe them." Wormmon and Lunamon then jumped up and down and Wormmon said: "Thank you!" and Lunamon said: "I knew I could count on you to back me up, Keisuke!"

Erika then frowned a little and said: "Are you sure you're not being too hasty? There's not enough evidence to support the existence of this 'Digital World' at all." "I think it could be true. After all, Digimon aren't really like anything on Earth, are they?" I asked. "Neither are dragons, or chimeras or sea serpents. But those are all things that we thought of. Who's to say Digimon programs are any different?" Erika asked.

There was a brief pause before Erika said: "But… even so… if there is a place like that, I definitely want to see it!" I smiled and said: "That would be one cool opportunity, wouldn't it?" "Well at least you both are interested. I'm glad to see that!" Wormmon said.

We then both turned to face her and Erika went on: "But Wormmon—now that you're here, what do you plan on doing now?" "Eh? Well I want to go back to the Digital World, of course! But I've already looked all over this area and haven't found a way back… I guess I'm going to be stuck for a while…" Wormmon replied as she looked down.

There was no question… hearing this was awfully sad… I wanted to help Wormmon, so I said: "Would you like to come with me, Wormmon? I've already started raising Digimon and I'd be happy to help you." Wormmon's head then shot up and she said: "HUH? Really?!" but then Erika said: "No! I want to take care of her!" I'm pretty sure this took all of us by surprise… Wormmon then said: "So two humans both want to take me with them? That's really nice… I almost feel like miss popularity here!"

I finally said: "…So how are we going to decide this? We need a way that's fair to both parties and that both of us can do." Erika then turned to Wormmon and said: "Hey Wormmon, think of a number between 1 and 20." "Why?" Wormmon asked. "Because we're going to try to guess what number it is and whoever is closest will get to take care of you." Erika answered. She then turned to me and said: "That's fair and something we can both do, right?" "Yup." I said back. "That sounds good to me. Mmm… okay, I've got it." Wormmon said. "Alright then. And just so you know, I'm guessing 9." Erika said. "I'll say 14." I said.

"Well the number I chose was 8, so it looks like I'm going to be in Erika's care." Wormmon said. Erika smiled and said: "YES!" and she jumped up. I was a little disappointed… but at the same time, it was nice to see Erika wanting to care for a Digimon. It was a welcome change of pace and I was interested to see where this would go…

But then Wormmon went on: "But I want you both to know this: even though I'm only going with one of you, I really respect you both for saving me and caring enough to have a peaceful contest over who gets to look after me. To have two people compete over me… I'm lucky. Humans aren't bad at all!" "Just remember that not all humans are like us." Erika said back. She then turned to me and smiled before she said: "Better luck next time, Keisuke." I laughed after she said this and Wormmon came up to Erika.

She then said: "Well, it looks like we'd best head back. Since you're the one who knows all the details, I'm assuming you won't mind writing the report for our client?" "Not at all." I said back. "Good, because I don't have enough information." Erika said. She then paused before she said: "By the way… I'm really sorry about not letting you into my office before we met." "Oh that? That wasn't a big deal. Don't worry about it." I said back. Erika grinned a little and said: "Alright. Now let's head on back."

And we all went back to the entrance that was a little before Galacta Park. When we arrived in preparation to log out, Erika suddenly stopped… "Erika? What's wrong?" Wormmon asked. "Come to think of it… when I log out of Kowloon, I'm going to go back to Earth, but you're going to have to stay here… meaning we're going to become separated Wormmon… that's not going to help anything. I'm not sure how I can keep you with me…" Erika replied. "Really? Oh no!" Wormmon said. "Oh, that's no problem! Since Wormmon's your partner Digimon now, she should be saved to an appliance you own—which looks like it's going to be your whale-like keyboard—and whenever you enter cyberspace, she'll be summoned out. I know because I've had the same experience with Lunamon. Pretty convenient, eh?" I asked.

"Really? Well that's a relief." Erika said. "Yeah… I'd hate to have to be on my own again so soon…" Wormmon said. "Alright then. I'm going to have to go now, but I'll see you soon Wormmon!" Erika said. "Sure. See you, Erika!" Wormmon said. Erika and I then logged out and we went back into the office. When we got back, Erika turned to me and said: "I'm going to go back to work now. Don't forget to type that report." "Right." I said back. Erika then went to her office and I typed up a written report to send to our client, then sent it off. When I was done, I found myself feeling very satisfied. I had solved my first case, met Mirei, seen Erika's better qualities and added my first four Digimon to my group. A lot of accomplishments had happened today, and I was enjoying life at Hudie already!


	10. Keisuke: Music soothes the savage beast

Keisuke Chapter 5—Music soothes the savage beast—

The next day, I went into Hudie as usual and checked the BBS for more cases. Much to my delight, I noticed that one came in! It was from a high school girl who said she had been walking in Kowloon and had heard a woman singing beautifully and wanted to meet her. She said she had tried to locate the woman, but the woman was long gone by the time she arrived where she had heard the singing… the girl had also left her contact information and requested that I call her before starting the case.

I wasn't sure what this girl's interest in the singer was, but I decided to take the case anyway. I accepted it and then took out my phone and tried calling the girl. It rang a couple times, and then I heard a: "Hello?" and I said: "Good morning. My name is Keisuke and I'm from Hudie. I took your case to find the singer you talked about." I then heard the girl say: "Oh that's great! Thank you for being willing to help me with it! Yes, as I said, I heard a woman singing beautifully and wanted to meet her, but she was long gone before I could catch up to her… I think she might have gone deeper into Kowloon, but it's in territory inhabited by Digimon, so I couldn't go in any further. That's why I was hoping you could escort me through Kowloon. We'd be a team—you'd be my bodyguard and I could help identify the singer."

"Sure, that's no problem. When can I meet you in Kowloon to start our search?" I asked. "I can leave right now. What about you?" the girl asked. "That works for me. I'll see you there." I said. "Oh that's great! The singer was in Kowloon level 1, so we can meet in Galacta Park. By the way—just so we can recognize each other—what do you look like?" the girl asked. "I'm going to be wearing a blue jacket, a white shirt and black pants. I have short black hair and I'm on the taller side." I said back. "Okay, got it! See you there Keisuke!" the girl said. "Sure thing!" I said back.

I then logged into Kowloon and went straight to Galacta Park, with Lunamon, Pabumon and Botamon in tow. When I arrived, I looked around and spotted a girl up ahead. It seemed she noticed me too, because she turned to me, looked me over and said: "Keisuke? Is that you?" "Yup! It is. I hope you haven't been waiting too long!" I said back. "No, not at all. Thank you for coming too." She replied. She then looked over my Digimon and said: "Aww, those are pretty cute! Are those your Digimon?" "Yes, that's right. They may be on the smaller side, but they should get us through, no problem." I said back. "Well that works for me. Let's get going then!" the girl said.

We then proceeded further into Kowloon. We got into some fights with Digimon along the way, but luckily between Lunamon, Tsumemon, Pabumon, Botamon and Punimon, we didn't have any trouble. As we wandered in, we eventually came to an area further in that had a winding pathway to the right that led to higher ground and a pathway that went around the left that went deeper in. There wasn't anyone here though… "It looks like we've gotten pretty far in…" I said. "Yeah… is she… not here today? That'd be a shame…" the girl said, but just then I heard a woman's voice… it sounded like she was practicing singing notes as she said: "Do re me fa so la ti do…" the girl reacted immediately and said: "It's her! That's the singer I was talking about!" "Is that so? Well that's perfect—there's only one way forward, so with any luck, we should catch her further in!" I said. "Right! Now let's go, Keisuke!" the girl said. I nodded and we ran further in! Some Digimon got in our way again, but we took them down with no problem!

When we went up the path, we arrived at a dead end… it looked like we were as far in as we could go. I looked around and what I saw next surprised me—there wasn't a woman here, but a Digimon! It was a small, humanoid, floating plant Digimon with two stubby arms and two stubby feet. It had a green torso and its arms and feet were green to match. Its head was rounded and colored pink, and it had two black eyes and a black oval-shaped mouth. There was a yellow sapling that was growing out of its head that was spinning and (somehow) keeping it aloft. It looked 1'9 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate, and I took it out and saw it said: "Lalamon scan data: 20%". It seemed the Digimon didn't notice us yet though, because it kept singing… in that same voice. So this was the singer…

The girl then got next to me and whispered: "Is that… a Digimon?" "Yeah. It's a Digimon known as 'Lalamon'." I whispered back. The girl smiled and whispered: "Lalamon… what a fitting name." The girl then looked down for a moment and hesitated before she started to approach Lalamon and said: "Um… excuse me." And then Lalamon's head shot up and she immediately whirled around before she said: "What?! You-you heard me?!" "Yes I did. I—" the girl began, but then Lalamon said: "Eeee! This is so embarrassing! I just came out here to practice singing until I got better, so the other Digimon would stop making fun of me! Ohh, I just want to crawl into a hole and hide now!"

She then started to float away past us, and the girl immediately said: "Wait, Lalamon!" and Lalamon paused before she turned around and said: "Hmm?" "I don't know who those other Digimon were… but they were wrong. You're voice and singing are beautiful. There's nothing wrong with them!" the girl said. Lalamon then positioned her body so she was standing up straight and said: "You…you think so?"

"Yes, I do. The truth is that I was passing through Kowloon the other day, and then I heard a woman's voice singing beautifully. When I heard it, I wanted to ask her to be my tutor, so she could help me pass a music class that I'm in. I've done great in the class so far, but the singing unit has thrown be so far off balance… I have a singing test coming up, and I'm sure I'll fail. And now that I know that was you, well… would you be willing to be my tutor?" the girl asked. Lalamon then looked surprised before she said: "I don't know what to say… I'm so surprised… all the other Digimon always made fun of me for doing what I loved, but for a human to say I'm that good…"

And then Lalamon looked happy as she said: "Well when you put it as nicely as you did, I'd be glad to be your tutor!" "Oh! That's so great! Thank you!" the girl said. She then turned to me and said: "And of course, thank you too, Keisuke! Without you this never would have worked out! But I'm going to ace this test now!" I smiled and said: "Yes—I know you will." And then the girl went on: "Well, this case is complete now, so go on—I'd hate for you to have to sit here for hours!"

I then was confused as I said: "Are you serious? What about the Digimon?" "Oh don't worry about that—Lalamon will help with that, won't you?" the girl said. "That's right! I may not look it, but I'm actually stronger than most of the Digimon around here, so I can get her back, rest assured!" Lalamon said. The girl and Lalamon then giggled together. It looked like they were fast friends already…

I smiled and said: "Alright then. Go get 'em on your singing test!" "I will! Thanks for everything!" the girl said. I then left and went back to the entrance of Kowloon. I then logged out and went back to Hudie. I was about to go to the BBS to confirm the case was complete, but then I had another idea—my Digimon had been through a few battles on the way… I wonder if they could digivolve? The girl seemed like she would be with Lalamon for a while too, so I guess there's not necessarily any rush… I then logged into the Digilab instead.

When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and called out all my Digimon before I went to the terminal in the lower-right hand corner. I checked it out and saw that Botamon, Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon were all ready to digivolve… but not Lunamon. Even so, that was really exciting! "Alright!" I said. "What is it, Keisuke?" Lunamon asked. "It looks like Botamon, Punimon, Tsumemon and Pabumon can all digivolve! Although you can't Lunamon… sorry." I said. "Oh that's no problem! I'm happy for all of them! Hurry up and digivolve them Keisuke—digivolution is a big deal to any Digimon!" Lunamon said.

I smiled and then went straight to work. I then looked at the Digimon Botamon could digivolve into and chose for it to digivolve into a Koromon, and Botamon became a colorless wireframe before it digivolved into a Koromon—a Digimon without arms or legs and had short, fuzzy pink fur all over. It had two floppy ribbon-like ears, two eyes and a mouth and looked about 8 inches tall. When I saw this, I said: "Congratulations, Koromon! You digivolved! I'm proud of you, but I wish I could know how excited you must be…"

And what happened next surprised me: Koromon actually said: "I'm thrilled, Keisuke! Thanks for asking." My eyes then widened and I said: "Koromon—you're talking!" and Koromon said: "Of course! I just needed a little time to learn actual language. But now I can finally talk with you, just like Lunamon can!" I smiled and said: "Well that works for me! I can't wait to see what the others are like too!" Koromon then nodded and hopped over with Lunamon.

I then proceeded to digivolve Punimon. I decided to digivolve it into a Digimon called 'Nyaromon'. Nyaromon was a circular yellow Digimon with purple stripes on its back, two eyes, a mouth, two ears and even a tail, looking 6-and-a-half inches tall. I then digivolved Punimon and when the process finished, I smiled and said: "Right on! Now Nyaromon's digivolved too!" "Yup! Let's all do good work together!" Nyaromon said, looking at all of us. I smiled and said: "I like your attitude, Nyaromon! Let's keep this up!" and she smiled and nodded before she hopped over with Lunamon and Koromon.

I then checked the Digimon that Tsumemon could digivolve into and digivolved it into a BlackAgumon—a black colored lizard type creature. It was very humanoid and walked on two legs and had two claws. It stood upright, like a human. It looked about 2'8. I started the process and when it concluded, BlackAgumon was before me! "Way to go, BlackAgumon! You're doing a great job!" I said. BlackAgumon then smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke. I'm going to keep going too—it'll be a long road to becoming your favorite Digimon, but I'm going to get there!" I laughed and he went off with Lunamon, Koromon and Nyaromon.

Finally, I chose to digivolve Pabumon. I decided to digivolve it into a Tanemon—a small green and white Digimon with two eyes, a mouth and four legs (but no arms) and a sprout growing out of its back. It looked 7 inches tall with the sprout (and 5 inches without it). When the process finished, I said: "And that's everyone! Great work, Tanemon!" and Tanemon smiled and said: "Thank you. It's good to be stronger, but to be honest, I'm happiest to be able to speak now. I've wanted to talk to you for a long time Keisuke, and I'm glad I'm finally going to have the chance to!" I smiled and said: "That's really sweet of you Tanemon. I'm looking forward to getting to know you too, along with everyone else." "Definitely!" Tanemon said. I smiled again and she went off with the others.

I was about to leave, but then I had another idea—I had encountered quite a few Digimon called Poyomon when I was out at Kowloon… maybe I could digiconvert one now… I then checked my phone and saw that I had enough scan data to digiconvert one! I then proceeded to and an egg appeared before me! After a little bit, the Poyomon broke down the walls of the egg and hatched! Poyomon was a little white ghost like creature. It was shaped like a dome and had two eyes and a mouth. It looked 3 inches tall.

I then smiled and said: "Welcome to the world, Poyomon! It's good to have you with us!" and Poyomon smiled and hopped up and down. We all laughed when we saw this and Poyomon hopped over with us. I then tried to put Poyomon into my phone… but I couldn't do it! Instead all I got was a message saying: 'ERROR—memory is full'. "Huh? What's going on?" I said. "What is it, Keisuke?" Tanemon asked. "I'm trying to take Poyomon with us, but it says that the memory on my phone is full…" I said back.

I then heard Mirei say: "I believe I can answer that." I turned to her and she went on: "You said the memory on your phone is full, Keisuke?" "Yes, that's right." I said. "Well that makes plenty of sense—Digimon take up more memory than most normal things on a phone after all." Mirei said. "So how can I add Poyomon then?" I asked. "I'm working on trying to develop a program that could serve as an update to increase the maximum memory on your phone, but it's not finished yet, so for now, you'll have to add some Digimon to the farm islands. You can transfer them on that terminal you were on." Mirei said. "Aww, that's too bad…" I said. "Don't get so disappointed; I've made the farm islands plenty hospitable for the Digimon. They'll be in good hands until you return." Mirei said.

"Well… alright then. Thanks, Mirei." I said. I then thought it through and decided that I would put Tanemon and Koromon in the farm island. I then turned to them and said: "Well Tanemon, Koromon, would you mind staying in the farm island for a little while?" "Well… what's a farm island?" Koromon asked. "It's simply a digital space that is designed to resemble a Digimon's natural habitat. That being said, there will be some things to do there and it will have plenty of food and water if you need it. Keisuke can also take you out anytime." Mirei said. "I don't mind at all! If it'll give Poyomon some time with you, I'll be happy to help!" Tanemon said. "…Alright. But come back soon, okay?" Koromon asked. "Of course! I'll come to check on you before I leave too. Thanks again!" I said.

I then called everyone back and transferred Tanemon and Koromon to the farm island, while adding Poyomon to my phone. After I was done, I went into the farm island. When I arrived, I saw it was (as the name implied) an island surrounded by water, but it had grass, rocks and trees, a spring and a basket full of meat and fruits and vegetables were growing all over. It also had a track for running, a giant ball to play with, a play pen and a balance beam to try and walk on. I looked around for Tanemon and Koromon and eventually headed into the area with the track and saw Koromon going in laps around the track while Tanemon was sunbathing in the middle with her eyes closed. When I saw it, I chuckled and approached, and Koromon and Tanemon turned to me (and Tanemon opened her eyes) and Koromon panted as he said: "Oh hi, Keisuke!" "Hi Koromon. Looks like you're already hard at work." I said back. "Yup! I'm trying to…" Koromon began before he panted and then went on: "Break my record for the fastest lap around this track!" I smiled and said: "That's admirable. So how far have you gotten?"

Koromon then panted again before he said: "My first lap took me 7 minutes. I know that's not very good, but since I don't have any legs, I don't think it's too bad. I tried again, but haven't beaten it yet, so I'm still at it! I—I think I'm going to have to rest soon though…" Koromon said. "Oh absolutely! Don't go injuring yourself now!" I said. "I won't. I think I'll get some water at a minimum…" Koromon said as he hopped off to a nearby tank of water with a straw and started gulping some down as I smiled and turned to Tanemon and said: "And it looks like you're taking some time off, Tanemon. That's nice. Are you taking a little nap in the sun?" "Oh no, I'm not sleeping. The only reason I had my eyes closed was because watching Koromon and having to keep turning to see what he was doing made me a little dizzy." Tanemon said. I laughed when I heard this and said: "That's nice. Well, enjoy soaking up sunlight until I get back!" "I will! See you, Keisuke!" Tanemon said.

I then left the Digilab. I went back to a cubicle and confirmed the case was solved, to get my reward at a later time. I then checked to see if there were any more and saw one… it was a case from a guy who said his girlfriend had gone missing on a date when they were in Kowloon! He said his girlfriend's name was Rumi and that she disappeared less than a day ago. Less than a day didn't sound like a very long time, but this didn't sound like something for me to wait until it got worse, so I took the case. I then went to Kowloon level 1 to investigate.

I went to Galacta Park and found some people there, but none of them knew anything about a 'Rumi', or even a disappearing girl! It looked like I'd have to go further in… I then proceeded further in and had about 3 battles (with Poyomon helping!), until I came further in and saw someone new! I approached her and asked if she knew about a girl named 'Rumi' or of a girl that had disappeared, but she said she didn't know anything about either one…

I sighed. This didn't look like it would be quite so easy… I then headed further in and eventually reached the deepest point in Kowloon level 1, but it was empty… I then sat down and Lunamon, BlackAgumon and Poyomon all came up to me and Lunamon said: "Don't get discouraged, Keisuke. We'll find a lead eventually." "Yeah. You can't let this stuff get to you." BlackAgumon said. Even Poyomon rubbed up against me… I smiled and said: "Thanks guys. Yeah, I shouldn't be so discouraged, it's just—" before I heard a: "Hey, you look upset. What's wrong?" and I whirled around to see it was a Lunamon, like mine…

"What are YOU doing there?" BlackAgumon asked. "I was just passing through and noticed you all together. What about you? You all looked bummed out…" the Lunamon said. "I'm investigating the appearance of a missing girl here." I said back. "In-ves-ti-ga-ting? I don't understand big words like those, but I can help you cheer up! Here!" the Lunamon said. She then ran up and took my hand before BlackAgumon frowned and said: "HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" "Let go of our tamer!" Lunamon said. "Ready? One, two, three!" the Lunamon said. Lunamon, BlackAgumon and Poyomon then came running in and in a moment, we were all teleported… into a pink-and-white cyberspace! "Wha… where are we?!" I said. "This is a cyberspace that I created to invite my friends to! Pretty neat huh?" the Lunamon said. BlackAgumon then advanced into her personal space and said: "Look pal, if you're going to take us away, you've got some explaining to do! What did you force us in here for?!" the Lunamon then looked nervous and said: "What…? What are you talking about? I just wanted to be friends with all of you…"

I then turned and saw… a girl in here! "Wha…!" I said before I ran up to her, forgetting about BlackAgumon, Lunamon and Poyomon. When I got in close range of her, I said: "Are you Rumi?!" "Yes, that's right… but how do you know my name?" the girl asked. "Your boyfriend hired me to find you!" I said back. "Oh yes! Thank you for coming. Lunamon took me here a while back and I had some fun with her, but she's been very insistent and I haven't had a chance to return yet… I'll bet he's worried sick."

By now, all of my Digimon (as well as the other Lunamon) had come up and Rumi said: "Well now it's really time to go." And she turned to the other Lunamon and said: "Thank you Lunamon, but I need to go now. I'll look for you again later." "What…? You're leaving? So I'm going to be alone again?" the Lunamon said. "Yes, I have to go. I'll be back again, okay?" Rumi said. "Thank you, Rumi. We'd best be off—I'm sure he'll be glad to see you." I said. Rumi nodded and I prepared to log out, before the Lunamon said: "No… no!" and I suddenly found the log out function wasn't working!

"You… what did you do?!" I said to the Lunamon. "I don't want to be alone again! I was having fun being with a human!" the Lunamon said. I frowned and BlackAgumon said: "It's no use! We've got to cut the interference off at the source!" as he went on in. "That's right!" Lunamon said as she followed BlackAgumon. Even Poyomon went in and I nodded and said: "Alright then!"

I then went on: "BlackAgumon, hit Lunamon with a destruction cannon!" and BlackAgumon said: "Destruction cannon!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at the Lunamon, which knocked her down! "Yeow!" the Lunamon said as she recovered. She then got up and said: "Idle bubble!" and sent a bubble flying at BlackAgumon, who fell asleep after it hit him! "BlackAgumon?!" I said as he was soundly dozing. Lunamon then said: "Tearing shot!" and sent a sphere of water flying at the Lunamon. Poyomon even blew bubbles at the Lunamon, but unfortunately, she got up…

The Lunamon then said: "Heal!" and cast a spell on her to restore her health! "Lunamon, Poyomon, use those attacks again!" I said. Lunamon then said: "Tearing shot!" and sent another sphere of water at the Lunamon while Poyomon blew bubbles at the Lunamon. Unfortunately, BlackAgumon was still asleep…

The Lunamon then said: "Tearing shot!" and blasted my Lunamon with a sphere of water! Lunamon then used her tearing shot to hit the Lunamon and the Lunamon then said: "Idle bubble!" and sent a bubble at my Lunamon, but she sidestepped the bubble! "Poyomon, super bubble blow!" I said. Poyomon then blew more bubbles at the Lunamon and she was starting to look pretty tired…

The Lunamon then said: "Heal!" and restored her health _again_ … this looked like it wouldn't be ending any time soon… luckily though, BlackAgumon yawned and then got up! I then smiled and said: "Quickly everyone—all together!" and BlackAgumon said: "Destruction cannon!" while Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and Poyomon blew bubbles at the Lunamon and knocked her out! BlackAgumon and Poyomon jumped up and down while Lunamon said: "We did it!" and the Lunamon then said: "No… I lost…"

She then got up weakly and said: "I just wanted to play with humans and make friends with them… what's wrong with that?" I then found myself frowning and I said: "Kidnapping is a serious act of evil. That's why it's illegal in any society—" and then the Lunamon said: "Ill-e-gal? What does illegal mean?" "It means it's a morally wrong act that is destructive to everyday life that you can get imprisoned for. Know what that means?" I asked, and the Lunamon shook her head as I said: "It means you get locked in a cage for a reasonably long enough amount of time to be punished for doing something wrong!"

"You're not going to do that to me, are you?!" the Lunamon asked. "I don't plan on it. But if you really want to make friends, you'll have to do something other than kidnapping them—friends stay in each other's company because they want to be with each other, not because they're being forced to by a kidnapper!" I said. The Lunamon then looked down and said: "You're right… to pressure her into staying here and then to try to force her to stay here… I wasn't treating Rumi like a friend at all…" the Lunamon then said to Rumi: "I'm sorry Rumi. I just liked being with you so much. I thought you were really neat. Please accept my apology… you should go and see your boyfriend."

Rumi then smiled and said: "Thank you, Lunamon. I thought you were really neat too. I really do want to see you again too, but I have to tell my boyfriend I'm safe first… just wait for me a little while, okay? I'll be back." Rumi said. The Lunamon then smiled and said: "Thank you, Rumi! I can't wait to see you again!" and then she turned to me and said: "And I won't do what I did to you anymore—I'll try to make friends with people normally and connect with them instead of doing… kid—what did you say?" and I smiled a little before I said: "Don't obsess over the word. But thank you, Lunamon. I think that approach will serve you well—and make you a lot of friends if you keep trying to be kind." The Lunamon nodded and said: "Thank you! Go on ahead—you can log out now."

I then tried to, and we got out this time! We were back in the depths of Kowloon level 1, before Rumi said: "Thanks again. Please get me out of here. I'll get to my boyfriend from there." "Of course! Follow me." I said.

I then guided her out to the terminal by the entrance past Galacta Park, where we logged out. There were only two battles along the way. When we logged out (and back into Hudie's office) Rumi said: "I can get to my boyfriend now. Thanks again for your help." "Sure thing. I'll let him know you're safe. Take care, Rumi." I said.

She then left and I prepared my report for the client to let him know Rumi was alright. When I was finished, I submitted it and sighed contently as I was leaning back in my chair. It felt like I was getting the hang of this! There weren't any more cases either, so it looked like I had some downtime for a bit… and then I remembered that Poyomon had been through some battles back there… come to think of it, I actually pushed Poyomon really hard, but it came out with flying colors. In that sense, Poyomon had exceeded my expectations… maybe it could digivolve after all that…

I decided to head back to the Digilab and check. I greeted Mirei, then went to the terminal in the lower-right hand corner. I then brought out Lunamon, BlackAgumon, Nyaromon and Poyomon, then I checked to see if Poyomon could digivolve… and I was surprised to find that it could! I decided to digivolve Poyomon into a Bukamon. Bukamon was an almost seahorse-shaped Digimon with a head, two flippers, two eyes and a mouth. It looked about 1 foot tall. I then initiated the process and when it was finished, Bukamon was before me!

I smiled and said: "Congratulations Bukamon. You really did a good job back there too!" Bukamon smiled and clapped his flippers as he said: "Yeah, digivolving makes me happy! Thank you for the compliment too, Keisuke! I'll keep it up!" I smiled and Bukamon hopped on over before I called them back and went into the farm island to check on Koromon and Tanemon. I looked around and when I arrived, I found them in the same spot, on the track. This time Koromon and Tanemon were running laps together, although it looked like Koromon was ahead. When Koromon made it to a white line on the track, he stopped and started breathing harder before Tanemon caught up and she said: "You beat me again… good job, Koromon. I should have started exercising sooner…" Koromon then grinned and said: "Hey, cheer up! You're getting better."

I smiled when I saw this, and I said: "Great going, you two! That's some good sportsmanship!" Koromon's and Tanemon's heads shot up and they turned around before Tanemon said: "Welcome back, Keisuke!" and Koromon said: "Oh hey! Good to see you."

They then hopped over and I said: "It looks like you two have been keeping busy while I've been away." "Of course! I wanted to see if I could beat my record after all!" Koromon said. "Heh-heh… yeah. I decided to run around the track too, although I'm not as good as Koromon yet… I shouldn't have been soaking up sunlight…" Tanemon said.

I smiled and then said: "So Koromon, did you beat your record?" and Koromon smiled and said: "Yeah! In case you don't remember, it took me 7 minutes to go around the track, but now I can do it in 5-and-a-half minutes! Not bad, huh?" "That's incredible, especially for a Digimon with no legs… be proud, Koromon." I said. Koromon grinned and I said: "And while I was away, you weren't the only ones getting better—check this out!" and I called out Bukamon, along with Nyaromon, Lunamon and BlackAgumon. When Koromon and Tanemon saw Bukamon, Koromon said: "Hey, looks like Poyomon digivolved!" and Bukamon said: "I sure did! It's good to be all caught up." We all smiled and I said to Koromon and Tanemon: "Speaking of which, I was hoping to digivolve you, Koromon and Tanemon…" and then I turned to Lunamon and BlackAgumon and said: "So would you mind staying here for a little while, Lunamon and BlackAgumon? I'll show you what they digivolve into when I get back." "Ooh, exciting! I can't wait!" Lunamon said. BlackAgumon looked disappointed but said: "Ah well. I hope you come back soon then!" "Thanks, you two. We'll get it done soon—I'm sure of it." And then I took Bukamon, Tanemon, Nyaromon and Koromon with me for training.


	11. Keisuke: What's in a name?

Keisuke Chapter 6—What's in a name?—

Once I had Bukamon, Tanemon, Nyaromon and Koromon with me, I went to Kowloon to train them. I trained for a while and then went back to the Digilab to check if they could digivolve. When I looked, I found that all three of them could! I got started immediately and began by digivolving Bukamon into an Otamamon. Otamamon was a Digimon that looked like an amphibian Digimon, much like a newt. He was colored a blue-purple color and had four legs and a body shaped like a drop of water, along with a tail that had an end that looked like a whitish leaf. He was very short and looked one foot tall. When the process ended, I smiled and said: "Great job, Otamamon!" and Otamamon clapped his front legs together before he said: "Yeah! Yeah! I digivolved again!" and we laughed before he went off to the side.

Next, I chose to digivolve Tanemon into a Renamon. Renamon was a fox Digimon, but strangely enough walked on two legs. She had yellow-orange fur and a white underbelly. She had two arms that had long purple gloves with a yin-yang symbol on it and that had a string that bound her paws so that they looked like hands. She had two ears, two eyes and a pointed black nose. For a rookie Digimon, Renamon was extremely tall, standing at 5'2. I smiled when I saw it happen and said: "Congratulations, Renamon! Your training paid off." Renamon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. It'll take some getting used to, being this tall though… before I digivolved, I was down by your ankles… now I can almost look you in the eye!" "That's true. You've really grown." I said back. Renamon then smiled and said: "But to be honest, I kind of like it too. I'm ready!" and she went over with Otamamon.

I then proceeded to digivolve Nyaromon next. I digivolved her into a Digimon called 'Salamon'. Salamon was a kitten Digimon with a tan body who walked on four legs and had a pretty big head with two eyes and a mouth. Yet oddly enough, Salamon's ears were big, floppy-looking ones. She looked about 1'4 tall. When the process ended, I said: "Nice work, Salamon. You're coming along nicely." Salamon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. It's been a lot of fun so far! I'm looking forward to having more fun with everyone too!" and she went off with Otamamon and Renamon.

Finally, I chose to digivolve Koromon. I chose for him to digivolve into a Digimon called 'Dracomon'. It was a little dragon that walked on two legs and had teal skin with a white underbelly and long, white toenails and claws. He had a white jaw and red-orange horns, eyes and wings. He also had a teal tail too. He looked 2'5 tall. When he was done digivolving, I said: "And that's everyone! Now you're all up to the rookie level! Alright!" and Dracomon said: "Yeah! One more accomplishment under my belt! I like it!" and then he went over with everyone else.

I then took them to see Lunamon and BlackAgumon on the farm island. When we arrived, I saw Lunamon lying on the beach, relaxing and BlackAgumon throwing rocks into the water, seemingly trying to skip them. I then said: "Lunamon, BlackAgumon!" and then Lunamon got up and BlackAgumon turned around and Lunamon said: "Oh, Keisuke!" and BlackAgumon said: "Alright! I was wondering when you'd come back!" and they came on over.

When they arrived, Lunamon looked impressed and said: "Wow! You've been hard at work, I see! Congratulations, everyone!" Even BlackAgumon smiled and Salamon said: "Thank you, Lunamon. How nice!" "Yeah! I'm glad we're all such good friends!" Otamamon said. I smiled before I said: "Thank you, Lunamon. I wanted to show them off before I head back and call it a day. You're all coming along great and I can't wait for tomorrow." Everyone was excited before I left the Digilab and called it a day.

The next day, I went back to Hudie's office and checked the BBS to see if there were any cases… but none had come in. It looked like I had some free time for now… All the same, I decided to check with Erika to see if there was anything I could do around the office. I went to her office and knocked on the door before Erika said: "Come in." and I entered. She was typing on her whale-like keyboard and then turned around before she said: "What is it?" "The BBS is blank right now, Erika. Is there anything I can do around the office?" I asked. "That's not your job, Keisuke. The rest of the staff are responsible for that. If you need something to do, train your Digimon or work on your hacking." Erika said.

I was a little disappointed by this answer and then Erika turned around and said: "Is there anything else?" I felt like leaving without having something to follow up with after asking something that should have been so self-explanatory would make me look stupid, so I wanted to say something, but… I wasn't sure what. I thought it over, then something came to mind…

"Well I guess there's one thing—" I said and Erika said: "Okay… what?" "What does 'Hudie' stand for, Erika?" I asked. "It doesn't stand for anything… it's a word, but not in Japanese. More specifically, it's the Chinese word for butterfly." Erika answered. "Oh…" I said, but then to my surprise, Erika actually went on: "So I'm sure you're wondering how that factors into why it's the team name, right?" "Yes, I am." I said. Erika then turned around and said: "It's connected to a story that I like, the 'butterfly dream'. In this story, a man falls asleep one night and dreams that he is a butterfly, flying through the air and then he wakes up. When he does, he is no longer sure if he was a human who was dreaming of being a butterfly, or if he is a butterfly who is now dreaming about being a human. Hudie was named after this as a form of juxtaposing the similar situation that's now present with EDEN."

I wasn't following, and it seemed Erika saw that, because she went on: "We treat cyberspace as an extension of reality in our day-to-day life. We don't even know which is the 'real' reality anymore. Some people are just ordinary people on Earth, but in cyberspace, they're special. Just look at the accomplished hackers. Which reality do you think is more real to them?" "That… seems awfully abstract… start talking like that, and people will call EDEN a fantasy and an escape from people's lives." I said. "Don't you think that's the appeal of EDEN? A place where people don't have to adhere to the way the world works?" Erika asked. "But no matter what, you can't escape the way the world works… everyone always has to log out to attend to things and obligations that they can't escape from… after all, nobody lives in EDEN, they just go in and out. Nope, no matter what, life follows specific rules that cyberspace can't change." I said.

Erika then smiled for a second before she said: "…You're a very interesting thinker, I see. You might be fun to debate, or to discuss new ideas with. I'm a little impressed." I suddenly grinned back and said: "Thanks Erika." Just then though, I heard my phone ring. I wasn't expecting any calls, but I said: "Whoops… I'll be back." And then I walked out and answered it. I said: "Hello?" and I heard the caller's voice… it was K! Now that was a blast from the past… he said: "Hello again. I see you've made some new friends in Hudie. That's excellent."

My eyes drooped as I heard this and I felt annoyed. I then responded by saying: "Oh, it's you… I'm kind of in the middle of something right now. What do you want?" "My, my, what a change in attitude! You doubt me so soon?" K asked. "You told me to target Youji, I caught him, and he was innocent of any involvement you claimed. What would you think of that and your credibility if you were me, K?" I answered. He then said: "Oh, but it is not what it seems. I merely made an error and I am very sorry. I can offer you some consolation though—I have actually discovered the real hacker this time." I didn't answer and he went on: "The hacker's name is Tooru Kayaba. He abuses personal information flowing into the darkness through account raiding to extort money from people and businesses."

"…I don't know why I'm doing this…" I said, and K said: "Hmm?" "Alright, I'll note this for now. But remember this: I'm not going to give you any more chances to get this right if you blow it again." I said. It sounded like K was starting to say something, but I didn't care… I pulled the phone away from my ear and hung up.

I then went back into Erika's office and Erika said: "Oh, you're back… who was the call from?" "It was some bozo making a nuisance call." I said back. Erika's eyelids then drooped and she said: "…Well I guess that'll teach you to check the number before you answer your phone…" and I said: "Definitely."

But then something surprising happened: I heard Wormmon speak! She said: "Hey Erika, how much longer do I have to stand here doing nothing?" and then Erika said: "Don't worry—I'm almost done." She then turned around to her screen and I couldn't help moving in to look as I said: "Is that Wormmon?" I then saw Wormmon in a window on the screen and she looked at me and said: "Oh hey, Keisuke! Long time, no see!" Erika then turned to me and said: "I've been conducting scans on Wormmon to see what I can learn from them. The results have been really remarkable actually…" and I said: "How so?"

"Well based on what I can see, Digimon are actually closer to being organic lifeforms than programs. They can reproduce by laying eggs, grow by digivolving, learn and consume foods too. They're actually not that different than us in many senses…" Erika said and Wormmon jumped up and said: "That's right!" before Erika said: "Hold still, Wormmon…" and sighed before she said: "Now I'll have to start this scan over…" "Oops… sorry, Erika." Wormmon said. "Just keep still a little longer, okay? I said I was almost done." Erika said. She then scanned Wormmon a bit more before she said: "Okay, I'm done." And Wormmon said: "Great! *Whew*, I'm hungry! How about some lunch, Erika?" "Alright sure. I'll send some digital meat your way—" Erika began, but then her phone rang. She then said: "Hold on, Wormmon." And she checked the number before she picked it up and said: "Hello?"

When I saw this, I decided to respect Erika's privacy and leave. I stepped out of her office and went to a cubicle and collapsed in the chair. I guess I'll be training my Digimon again for a while. I thought about who I wanted to take with me for a bit, but then I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder! I whirled around and saw it was Erika before she said: "No need to be so jumpy. It's Hudie's office, isn't it? Who did you think was here?"

"Can't you at least see as to how that would startle someone…? Say you're there next time, okay?" I said. "Jeez…" Erika said before she went on: "That call was from my brother. He said a new case for all of us came in and that we all have to meet in my office. He and Chitose are probably going to be back in 20 minutes, so you're off the hook for now, but don't be late—come on over on the double when it's time." "Okay, no problem." I said back.

Since it was only 20 minutes, I guess there's not going to be enough time to do any real training… instead, I went to the Digilab and I added Salamon, Dracomon, BlackAgumon and Lunamon to my phone (leaving Renamon and Otamamon together in the farm island) before I left and sat at the computer in the cubicle I had logged in from. I wasn't sure what to do, so I thought I should learn something, but what? As I thought it over, I decided to research Kowloon and who was in it, to familiarize myself with hacker teams we may encounter. Time dwindled down before I noticed it was 5 minutes before and I went back to Erika's office. I knocked on the door and said: "Erika? It's me. I'm ready for the meeting." "Then come in." Erika said. I then did so and she said: "It looks like you're here a little early… not that that's a bad thing, of course. Well, take a seat and we'll wait for Ryuji and Chitose." I nodded and sat down. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and I heard Ryuji say: "We're back, Erika." Erika then got up and opened the door, and Ryuji and Chitose came in.

Ryuji then said: "We're all ready to start. Where's Keisuke?" Erika then pointed to me and said: "He's on the floor, over there." Ryuji and Chitose then turned to me and Chitose said: "Heh-heh! You came prepared for this one I see, Keisuke! Excellent work!" "Thank you, Chitose." I said back. "Well that's convenient—as long as we're already in the same place, it'll save us a step. Let's get started." Ryuji said.

Everyone else then sat down and Ryuji turned to me before he said: "Now then, as I was saying to Erika, a new case has come in from Zaxon." He then turned back to face all of us and he went on: "They've looked into it, and they found that Youji was actually reporting to another hacker to deal in accounts… and so were many others." "That's interesting. Does this top dog hacker have a name?" Erika asked. "Yes. His name is… is…" Ryuji said, but then he paused. It looked like he was looking at Erika's screen…

Finally, he said: "Erika… what _IS_ that?" and then Erika hastily turned around. We all looked and saw the window with Wormmon was still open on the screen. She must have forgotten to close it… Erika then turned back to us, but before she could say anything, Wormmon said: "I'm Wormmon! Nice to meet ya!" Chitose then grinned and he said: "Oh-ho! A Digimon! I thought you weren't interested in them, Erika?" Erika then said: "She's my Digimon. Keisuke and I met her in Kowloon when we were investigating, and I picked her up." Wormmon then looked confused and said: "Picked me up? You were the one who said you wanted to take care of me, Erika. Don't you remember?" Erika then turned around (looking embarrassed) and said: "W-Wormmon!" and Chitose and I laughed before Ryuji grinned and said: "Alright then, no problem. It'll be good to have another Digimon on the team."

Erika turned back to us and Ryuji then went on: "Now then, as I was saying, we do have a name of the hacker. His name is Mephisto—and Zaxon wants us to recover all the accounts he stole." "That may be tricky. I can't help but think that an account broker at that level would be a dangerous opponent." I said. "Dangerous or not, we have to try. The good news is that Zaxon knows exactly how many are missing. The bad news is that Zaxon has no clue where to start looking. That being said, we're going to need to dig up information on this Mephisto… as a team." Ryuji said. He then went on: "Chitose, Erika, you both look up info on the net and in the real world." "Leave it to me." Erika answered. "You can count on me! This is my specialty, after all!" Chitose answered. "Good. I'll go gather information from hackers in Kowloon." Ryuji said. He then turned to me and said: "Keisuke, you come too." "Yes sir!" I said. "Good. Once one of us gets news about Mephisto, contact everyone else to make our move. Alright, let's get started!" Ryuji said. He then got up to leave (as did Chitose and I) while Erika turned to face her computer again.

Chitose then went down the hall while Ryuji said: "As I mentioned, our job is going to be to dig up information on Mephisto in Kowloon. That means we're going to have to ask other hacker teams." "Right. Now let's see…" I said as I paused to think about what I had read, before I said: "I did some research before you came, and I guess some of the teams we could ask would be Black Silver or the Nakano Stripes…" and Ryuji grinned before he said: "You've been doing your homework I see. Yes, either one of those would be ideal. Black Silver tends to loiter at the Digimarket, but the Nakano Stripes are wanderers, so they'll be harder to track down… still, at least we have a lead on one. Let's go to the Digimarket." "You bet!" I said.

We then logged in and went to the Digimarket. Black Silver was actually a team of old men, so they would be easy to spot. I saw the same salesman from last time was here too (and he passed me a very sharp glance as soon as he saw me) before Ryuji and I went around. We found some old men who were Black Silver members, but they didn't know anything, or at least… they didn't claim they did. Ryuji and I then went to Under Kowloon level 2, where we were in luck—Nakano Stripes members were everywhere! The Nakano Stripes was a team of young women who were mostly from Nakano, but unfortunately, most of them were very hostile and the ones who we did get to talk to didn't know anything more than the Black Silver members did…

Ryuji and I then eventually headed back to the entrance and Ryuji looked disappointed as he said: "So it looks like neither Black Silver, nor the Nakano Stripes knew anything…" "Cheer up! We'll find something eventually. Not everything we do is easy after all." I said. Ryuji then grinned, but then his phone rang all of a sudden. "Hold on…" Ryuji said as he checked it and then he picked it up and said: "Hello, Chitose. What is it?" and then he listened for a while before he suddenly grinned again and said: "That may work… alright, we're on our way. Good job." And he hung up moments later.

"Chitose called? What was that about?" I asked. "He has a lead… let's go back to the office and we'll discuss it further." Ryuji said. I nodded and we logged out. Once we got back, Ryuji and I went to a cubicle where Chitose was and he said: "Hey, welcome back!" "Hello, Chitose. Could you reiterate what you found?" Ryuji asked.

"I'd be glad to! Ultimately, I dug up a suspicious-yet-useful sounding piece of information… what I heard was that the hacker team known as the 'Steam Dealers' has suddenly gained a lot of money and influence from 'doing business' lately—" Chitose began and Ryuji said: "And you think that's connected to doing business with Mephisto in account dealing?" "As sad as it is, account dealing is one of the fastest ways to make money these days. It's also one of the least honest ways, but… some people aren't concerned with making an honest living nowadays." Chitose answered.

"I'll admit it sounds plausible… alright, I'll go get Erika to get us the URL to their server—" Ryuji began, and then Chitose said: "Heh-heh! I thought you'd say that! That's why I asked Erika to scrounge up their server's URL! And she's already found it! Since she gave it to me, I'll send it to you as well!" and he sent it to me and Ryuji before Ryuji said: "Excellent, Chitose. Okay, let's log in!" and we all went to cubicles and logged into the Steam Dealers' base…

When we arrived, we looked around… there wasn't anybody in this area… what luck! Ryuji then whispered: "Looks like we got lucky… now let's move and stay on the lookout for Steam Dealers—", but then Chitose whispered sharply: "Oh shoot—duck!" and then we turned and saw a guy on a walkway above us! It seemed he didn't see us though, so we quickly ducked down. Chitose then whispered: "How are we going to sneak around now?" "It may be unavoidable for us to get caught… we'll just have to do our best until we do—" Ryuji whispered, but then I whispered: "No… it doesn't have to be that way." "Keisuke?" Chitose asked. I then grabbed onto them and said: "I'm going to use a hacking skill to sneak right up on them. I'll drop it when we reach our target. Just whatever happens, don't let go!" and then I activated the stealth hide hacking skill I had studied… it was a skill that turned us invisible and concealed our account information. It required a virus type Digimon to use, but since I had BlackAgumon, that wasn't a problem!

We then turned invisible, and I heard Chitose whisper: "Wh—whoa!" and Ryuji whisper: "Outstanding Keisuke! That'll work perfectly. Now let's go." We then started sneaking around their server. We eventually made it to a dead end with three members… they dressed very formally and all wore suits, ties and slacks… but also all had gas masks on for some crazy reason… they had to be some of the weirdest people I had ever seen…

Nonetheless, it looked like we had reached some people we could gather some information from. I dropped the stealth hide and we suddenly were visible again. One of the Steam Dealers immediately said: "What the—hey, where did you come from?!" and the other two whirled around and another said: "What the—intruders?!" and the last one said: "Hey, how did you get in here? And who are you anyway?!" "Just some visitors. Do you greet everyone who comes here this way?" I asked.

"We certainly are hospitable to our guests… which doesn't include you. Why don't you tell us what you're doing breaking into our server, hmm? And how you got in while you're at it?" a Steam Dealer said. "An excellent suggestion! I think I'll take you up on that. Well, the reason we came in was because we wanted to ask what you know about a hacker named 'Mephisto'." Chitose said. "Wh-where did you hear that name?!" one of the Steam Dealers asked. Chitose then grinned and said: "Ha! Looks like you ARE connected to him!" Another Steam Dealer said to the first one: "Watch what you say! You're a loose cannon!" He then turned to us and said: "Well you're certainly one to give incomplete answers… but as long as that's so, I don't see any reason fit why we shouldn't be allowed to do the same in kind. Now beat it before we clean you up with the rest of the garbage!"

"The rest of the garbage? You don't keep a clean base?" I teased. The same Steam Dealer then demonstrated through his body language that he was annoyed and said: "Ugh, can't you smell it?! The foul air in cyberspace. That's why we wear these gas masks! We'll remove them once the air is cleaner." "Are you hypersensitive to odors or something? I almost never smell anything in cyberspace…" I said. Another Steam Dealer then said: "Oh, so you can't smell the stench, huh? Well maybe it's just you then, heh-heh…"

"Whether you're hypersensitive or not, we don't have any intention of leaving here empty-handed. Why don't we see who can clean who up?" Ryuji asked. One of the Steam Dealers then said: "So the last team standing wins then, hm? Well fine!" he then turned to the other Steam Dealers and said: "Let's take out the garbage!" They then called out their Digimon. I didn't recognize all of them, but most of them that I did recognize were vaccine Digimon, so I called out Dracomon, Lunamon and Salamon, while Ryuji called out his Digimon and Chitose called out his. Ryuji then said: "We'll each take on an opponent in one-on-one confrontations until one side has lost all of their Digimon. Let's show them what we can do!" I nodded and Ryuji and Chitose took the tamers on either side on, while I approached the Steam Dealer in the middle. The Steam Dealer across from me called out three Digimon… one looked like a normal Agumon-family Digimon… except its entire body was made of colorful Legos! It walked on two legs, had two arms and looked a little taller than a normal Agumon at 2'10 tall.

The next was a dinosaur-like Digimon, with some similarities to an archaeopteryx and it walked on two legs. It had two arms and long, silver toenails and claws. It had one horn on the top of its head that was colored yellow-orange and a rhombus on its forehead of the same color. It had red stripes around its shoulders and purple skin with wings off of its arms… it looked 3'5 tall.

The last one was a humanoid golem-like creature that was colored gray and looked like it was made of rocks. It walked on two legs, had two arms and two eyes. It was about 3'2 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: ToyAgumon scan data: 20%, Monodramon scan data: 20%, Gotsumon scan data: 20%.". Since it said that Gotsumon was a data Digimon, I said: "Salamon, get ready to block! Dracomon, hit ToyAgumon with a baby breath!" and Dracomon said: "Baby breath!" and spat a fireball at ToyAgumon, which it took a little hard. The Steam Dealer then said: "Gotsumon, slug that Dracomon with a rock fist! ToyAgumon, give the Lunamon a taste of your plastic blaze!" and ToyAgumon said: "Plastic blaze!" and spat a block of flame at Lunamon that hit her and made her flinch before it bounced off and burned away… the Gotsumon then said: "Rock fist!" and punched Dracomon with his fist.

But then something odd happened: when Dracomon recovered, he looked mad and roared out! "Dracomon?" I asked. "OH NO! I didn't think it would set off his support skill!" The Steam Dealer said. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "You don't even know what support skills are…? Argh, how could I be threatened by such a blatant newbie?!" the Steam Dealer said, sounding truly annoyed. He then said: "Monodramon, hit Salamon! Heavy strike!" and then Monodramon said: "Heavy strike!" and ran at Salamon and swung his wing at her, but Salamon assumed a defensive position before he hit her, so she didn't take it too hard.

"Lunamon, hit ToyAgumon with tearing shot!" I said. Lunamon then said: "Tearing shot!" and sent a big bubble of water at ToyAgumon, but before I saw what happened, I checked my phone for information about support skills—I wanted to know what this guy was talking about! It turned out that support skills were innate traits that all Digimon possessed that affected how they (and their friends) battled at all times. Dracomon's support skill was one that made so that—once in a very rare while—whenever Dracomon or one of his friends was hit, they'd get a huge power up to their damage output with attacks that weren't magic, while their damage resistance to non-magic attacks went way down… since Dracomon had an advantage over two of the three Digimon the Steam Dealer was using, I could see why he felt threatened by it.

The Steam Dealer said: "Gotsumon, Monodramon, knock out the Dracomon! Rock fist and knuckle beater!" and Gotsumon said: "Rock fist!" and slugged Dracomon again (which he took harder this time) while Monodramon said: "Knuckle beater!" and he leapt at Dracomon and punched him when he came down. I decided to take advantage of the extra damage that Dracomon could now do and I said: "Dracomon, smack Monodramon! Heavy strike! Salamon, you back him up! Holy light!" and Dracomon said: "Heavy strike!" and ran at Monodramon before swiping at him with his claws. Monodramon took the hit really hard and fell straight down, and as he was getting up, Salamon said: "Holy light!" and struck Monodramon with an exploding, shining cross and then he was down for good this time!

"Argh! ToyAgumon and Gotsumon, get rid of Dracomon, quick! Comet hammer and plastic blaze!" and then Gotsumon said: "Comet hammer!" and made rocks start to fall on Dracomon, while ToyAgumon said: "Plastic blaze!" and spat another block of fire at Dracomon. Dracomon's power really had gone up, but he was also looking tired, so I made a quick decision and said: "Block the attacks, Dracomon!" and he assumed a defensive position. He took the attacks, and luckily was still standing at the end. I then said: "Lunamon, Salamon, help him! Use heal!" and Lunamon and Salamon then said: "Heal!" and each cast a spell on Dracomon that restored his health!

I couldn't see the look on the Steam Dealer's face with that gas mask in the way, although I was sure it must have been priceless, because he backed away and said: "WHAT? No… you're kidding…" and then I said: "Dracomon, hit ToyAgumon! Wolkenapalm!" and Dracomon said: "Wolkenapalm!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where ToyAgumon was and ToyAgumon said: "Yowch!" before he got up… but just barely. The Steam Dealer then said: "Attack Dracomon with a comet hammer, Gotsumon! ToyAgumon, hit Salamon with plastic blaze!" and then his Digimon did so. I then said: "Salamon, heal yourself! Lunamon, finish ToyAgumon off!" and Salamon healed herself while Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and sent a big bubble at ToyAgumon that thoroughly knocked him out!

The Steam Dealer was really looking desperate now and had Gotsumon use a spell that boosted his damage resistance to non-magic attacks. I then decided to toy with him a little as I said: "Lunamon, use idle bubble!" and Lunamon said: "Idle bubble!" as she sent a smaller bubble flying at Gotsumon that hit him… and then he fell on the ground, sound asleep… I then had Dracomon and Salamon attack him and then the Steam Dealer shook his head and said: "I may be daring, but even I can see when the writing's on the wall… I concede." I then grinned and said: "Great! Way to go, everyone!" and Dracomon, Lunamon and Salamon all celebrated. The Steam Dealer then backed away and I looked around and saw Ryuji and Chitose had also finished their matches too.

I then said: "Looks like you're already finished up, Ryuji and Chitose?" "Yes. We finished a while ago." Ryuji said. "And so?" I asked. "A flawless victory! We all won our matches, so it's a 3-0 victory, no next round needed!" Chitose said. "That's great!" I said. Ryuji then approached the Steam Dealers and said: "You lost. So tell us what you know about Mephisto—NOW." One of the Steam Dealers said: "…We communicate by sending a signal to a certain bulletin board. Then they tell us where the deal will take place—" and Ryuji said: "And who is this 'they'? Is it Mephisto?" and the Steam Dealer said: "Ulp… yes."

"Then call him and arrange a meeting this second. Or else we'll be the ones taking out the garbage." Ryuji said. The Steam Dealer sighed and said: "Alright, alright…! I'll arrange it!" He then started texting on his phone before he said: "They're going to meet you at the furthest point in Kowloon level 1 at 11 in the morning tomorrow! Now get out!" I then smiled and said: "Certainly. And thank you—you've been very helpful." We all then went back and logged out.

When we returned to Hudie's office, Chitose said: "Ha ha! Looks like that was a successful run! A job well done everyone!" and Ryuji nodded and said: "Right." He then turned to me and said: "Keisuke, you head into Kowloon to meet with Mephisto tomorrow. Until then, you have some time to use for cases or training your Digimon, so use it wisely." "Understood. I won't let you down, Ryuji!" I said. I then turned around, but then Ryuji said: "Oh Keisuke?" and I turned around and said: "Yes?" and Ryuji said: "I'll send you the number of accounts Mephisto stole that Zaxon quoted for reference—just in case it comes in handy." I then felt my phone vibrate and I smiled and said: "I'm sure it will! Thank you, Ryuji."

I then went and checked the BBS, but I didn't see any cases, so I went to Under Kowloon, training my Digimon and rotating them out to give them all a chance to get stronger, for the rest of the day…


	12. Simon: Leapfrogging

Simon Chapter 6—Leapfrogging—

I had to say, I was excited at Kyoko's claim that the next case was 'a big one'! I hurried back to Broadway and entered Kyoko's office and when she looked up, I said: "Hi Kyoko! I'm all ready for the next case!" Kyoko then grinned and said: "I'm glad to hear that. Yes, this case was from a subcontractor to Kamishiro. Apparently, there have been some… concerns rising over a group of trouble makers in EDEN making mischief. They attack other users, steal Digimon, or even account data… they're a nasty bunch. Our client doesn't know much, but they do have a name… it's 'Demons'. That's what they have reason to believe this group is called."

"Demons? Tch, fitting name…" I said. "Exactly. They wanted us to find some members of this group and get them to say something incriminating that they could use, so needless to say, you're going to be wearing a wire for this case." Kyoko said. "Wow, so I guess that makes me an informant…" I said. "Exactly. Don't worry, I believe you can do it with your wits and Digimon. Just get the wire on and go to Kowloon level 2—that's where they are." Kyoko said. Kowloon level 2… that was a higher floor of Kowloon I had passed through with Nokia, before we had gotten to the floor where we had fought Jimiken! It helped that I knew where I was going at least.

"Alright then, leave it to me!" I said. "Good. Then off you go, Simon!" Kyoko said. I then went off to another room and put the wire on and then went up to the fourth floor to log into Kowloon. But then I thought of something… my Digimon were going to be out when I was going to be talking to the Demons and I was sure they'd be surprised by what kind of things I'd have to say in the course of the discussion and I didn't want them to blow my cover… I then went to the Digilab instead to explain it to them. Once I arrived, I called them all out and explained the situation to them on the farm island before we left for Kowloon level 2.

When I arrived, I logged into Kowloon level 2 directly and called out Armadillomon, Renamon and Growlmon and we went further in. As I walked through the area, I noticed some people around who had weird masks on… they were white, with black lips, a black left eye and a purple star around the right eye. As I went in, I eventually went down a passageway and I saw someone with one of those masks in the middle of the road ahead! I walked up to him and as soon as he saw me, he said: "Hey, what are you doing here?" "I'm looking for a group of people called the 'Demons'." I said back. "Gah! You must be another Zaxon dog trying to hunt us down before we can grow! Well you don't fool me! I'll show you who the real predator is!" the guy said. So the Demons had a relationship to Zaxon... Jimiken must be with these boneheads somehow…

Nonetheless, I said: "Wait! That's not true! I only wanted to—" I began, but then the guy called out three Digimon—one was a Digimon like a white snake with a head almost like an Egyptian, mammalian creature. It had gold patterns and stripes on its body and two stubby arms. It also had a gold tip on its tail, a gold ring around its neck and a red earring in its right ear. It looked short at 1'9 tall.

Another was a small red-and-gray bug Digimon that walked on two legs (and had a third behind and in between them) and had two arms with long gray pincers at the ends, a gray underbelly, two red wings with gray spikes all over them, two big yellow-green eyes and two orange ribbon-like ears. It looked 2'8 tall.

The last one was a small, humanoid, floating plant Digimon with two stubby arms and two stubby feet. It had a green torso and its arms and feet were green to match. Its head was rounded and colored pink, and it had two black eyes and a black oval-shaped mouth. There was a yellow sapling that was growing out of its head that was spinning and (somehow) keeping it aloft. It looked exactly the same height as the snake-like Digimon at 1'9 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Kudamon scan data: 20%, Tentomon scan data: 20%, Lalamon scan data: 20%." It also said Kudamon and Tentomon were vaccine Digimon, meaning that data Digimon had a big advantage here! I then called back Armadillomon and called in Patamon before I said: "Renamon, give them a diamond storm! Growlmon, get ready to block!" and Growlmon started watching the other tamer's Digimon closely as Renamon said: "Diamond storm!" and conjured several small, glowing shards and sent them flying into all of the Demons tamer's Digimon at once—Kudamon and Tentomon took it pretty hard too! The tamer then said: "Kudamon, hit Growlmon with a blinding ray! Lalamon, seed blast!" and Kudamon said: "Blinding ray!" as he created a flash of light where Growlmon was—luckily Growlmon saw it coming and assumed a defensive position when the light subsided, he looked like he didn't take it too hard. Lalamon then said: "Seed blast!" and she started spitting seeds at all of my Digimon, firing two at each. Growlmon blocked this too, although it might as well have bounced off of him for all the good it did—it didn't look like it did much of anything, really. Patamon then said: "Mental charge!" and cast a spell on Renamon that strengthened her damage output with magic, as well as her damage resistance to magic.

Tentomon then said: "Super shocker!" and zapped Growlmon with a blast of electricity, which he defended against too. I then said: "Renamon, time for another diamond storm! Growlmon, prepare to block!" Renamon then said: "Diamond storm!" and sent more glowing shards at the other tamer's Digimon.

The other tamer said: "Tentomon, zap Renamon with a ripping net! Lalamon, hit Patamon with a venom trap!" and Tentomon said: "Ripping net!" as he flew up to Renamon fast (and as he did, his arms began to crackle with electricity) before he swiped at her with his claws. When he did, Renamon fell back and looked like she was in pain… Lalamon then said: "Venom trap!" and flew over to Patamon and lunged at him and when she hit him, he looked like he was feeling ill… Patamon then said: "Air shot!" and spat up a bubble of air at Tentomon (which he took pretty hard), but then Patamon suddenly looked like he was in pain as he said: "Ugh…" looks like he's suffering from poison… Kudamon then said: "Holy light!" and hit Growlmon with an exploding, shining cross, but Growlmon assumed a defensive position before it hit, so he didn't take it too hard.

I then said: "Renamon, hit Kudamon with a Gaia element!" and Renamon stood up, but then fell into a kneeling position and held her one arm with her other and her eyes were shut… "Renamon?" I asked. "Gahahahaha! You don't know about the paralysis status condition, boy? It makes actions attempted by a Digimon fail!" The Demons tamer said. He then went on: "Lalamon, Seed blast! Kudamon, give Growlmon a blinding ray—but then I said: "Growlmon, block it out!" Kudamon then attacked Growlmon and Lalamon then followed through and spat seeds at everyone.

I then went on: "Patamon, Attack Tentomon! Use sonic void!" and Patamon said: "Sonic void!" as caused a ball of air to emerge where Tentomon was and explode. Tentomon then retaliated by trying to use a ripping net on him, but luckily Patamon evaded the attack! "Renamon, try again! Hit Tentomon with Gaia element!" I said. Renamon then rose and said: "Gaia element!" and made a green sphere engulf Tentomon—when it disappeared, Tentomon was down and on his side! He had been defeated!

"What?! How dare you! Kudamon, attack Patamon!" the tamer said and Kudamon said: "Blinding ray!" and he created a flash of light where Patamon was. When the light subsided, Patamon was looking beat… I'll have to end this fast! I then said: "Time to fight back, everyone! Growlmon, scorch Lalamon with exhaust flame! Patamon, Renamon, use sonic void and Gaia element on Kudamon!" Growlmon then said: "Exhaust flame!" and spat up smoky, black flames at Lalamon that squarely knocked her out. Patamon then said: "Sonic void!" and Renamon said: "Gaia element!" and they attacked Kudamon together and knocked him out! After he called his Digimon back, the Demons tamer backed up and said: "Daaah! You'll pay for this!" "Wait!" I said, but he just ran further in…

Losing him was disappointing, but at least now I had confirmed the existence of the Demons! I went further in and eventually came across two men in suits, slacks and ties… but they were wearing gas masks for some weird reason… they didn't look like that member of the Demons, so I wasn't expecting interacting with them would serve any purpose…

I then tried to go by them, but soon one of them turned to me and said: "You! Are you one of those brats from Hudie?!" "What? No, I wanted to find someone from the Demons." I said back. The man appeared to be staring me down (although I wasn't sure with that gas mask covering his face…) and the other one turned to him and said: "I think he's telling the truth. He doesn't have one of those jackets that they have…"

The first man with the gas mask then said: "Hmm… that is true." He then turned to me and said: "Fair enough. Go on then. Sorry about the misunderstanding." "Okay, thank you…" I said. I then went right by them. Hudie? I hadn't heard of anyone from that group before… it looked like there were multiple hacker teams in Kowloon right now that were fighting with each other… I'd better be careful.

I then headed further in, until I came up a path that led to a dead end. But there was good news as well—there were three Demons here! I then approached them and said: "Hey there!" and then the three Demon members turned around—they all had those masks on and two of them were teenagers wearing casual clothing while the third was a man wearing a suit, slacks and a tie like those weirdos who were wearing the gas masks… he just had a Demons mask on instead. One of the teenagers then said: "Eh? What do you want?!" "You guys are Demons aren't ya?" I asked. "What if we are?" The other teenager asked. "I thought your team sounded pretty cool and… I was interested in joining up." I said.

They all then looked more relaxed before the man in the suit and tie came up and said: "That's good to hear. Well then, I trust you have some wares for trade?" "Huh?" I said. The man then shook his head as he said: "Um… are you the type to seek membership in a group without knowing anything about them?" "I guess you could say that. Sorry, I just thought that a team with a name like 'Demons' sounded so wicked cool!" I said back.

"Jeez… well fine, I'll explain it: when I say 'wares', I'm actually talking about accounts. We of the Demons do a lot of things, including account raiding. So that being said, it's about time for you to show me the goods, wouldn't you say?" the man asked. "I don't have any on me right now… but just give me some time! I'll be back!" I said back. "Alright then. In that case, we'll let that be your initiation into the Demons. Bring me some accounts, and we'll take you as an honorary member. And hey—I'll even give you some help." The man said. Suddenly I felt uneasy as he turned to one of the teens and said: "Go with him and help him steal an account—just don't help him too much." "Yes sir, Mephisto!" the teen said.

Now this was a nasty predicament… this guy was going to watch me now and was expecting me to steal an account… if I didn't, my cover would be blown… this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought… I was going to have to think of a way to lose this guy! I had no idea if this Mephisto was doing this on purpose, suspecting me of being a liar and trying to cover his bases, or if he was merely trying to ensure he would get a new member. Either way, he was smarter than I gave him credit for… the teen then put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Come on—I'll show you the ropes." And I followed him…

We went through Kowloon, but the number of people here had decreased for some reason… what was going on? Soon though, we came up on an arch and the guy said: "Oh this is a good source of cover! Let's wait here and watch for a sucker to come up!" I nodded and we got behind it. I saw someone in the distance coming up… it was Keisuke! I knew I was going to have to make my move soon… if I didn't, this guy would try to set me up to steal Keisuke's account! I then turned and said: "Hey uh… do you hear something?" The guy then said: "Huh? No, not really. Why?" "Well I thought I heard something coming up… could you go check?" I said. "HUH? Why? Why can't you?" The guy said. "It might be a Digimon, and mine are already hurt…" I said. "Oh my god…" the guy said. He then went on: "Fine, just this once. You'd better thank me for this later, newbie!" He then looked around the corner and he said: "There's nothing here. Don't be so—"

But then I shoved him out! "HEY!" he said as he was thrust out into the open! I then yelled: "Stop, thief!" and ran after him. As I ran out, I saw Keisuke looking up—it was working! Keisuke then said: "Simon? What's going on?" I then turned to Keisuke and said: "Keisuke! Am I ever glad to see you! This guy stole my wallet!" The guy then said: "What? What do you—" and then I said: "Please, Keisuke! Help me get it back!" Keisuke then nodded and said: "Alright!" and he called out a humanoid creature that had two arms and stood upright, but that wore a pale pink dress on its body, so I couldn't see its legs… It had a yellow crescent moon on the front of its dress and x-shaped pink ribbons that were connected to a silver medal with a white moon against a dark gray backdrop on its chest. It had four big ears, two were on the side of its head and were larger and floppy while two were on the top, and red eyes with a curved line of skin protruding out of its forehead. It looked 2 feet tall, as well as a Renamon and an amphibian Digimon, much like a newt. It was colored a blue-purple color and had four legs and a body shaped like a drop of water, along with a tail that had an end that looked like a whitish leaf. It was very short and looked one foot tall. I then called out Growlmon, Renamon and Agumon.

The other tamer looked furious said: "So this was your plan, huh? Grr, I'll make you pay for this!" and then he called out a small, bee-like Digimon that was exceptionally cute… it had a yellow-orange body, brown stripes, three legs, four clear wings, two blue antennae and three silver barbs around its backside, complete with a silver stinger. It looked 1'5 tall. The other was a Solarmon, but we beat them down easily.

After we defeated the tamer, he said: "You brat…! I don't know what you're doing, but I'll get you for that!" and he ran away further backwards into Kowloon, back to the entrance… "Get back here!" Keisuke yelled and he started to run before I put my hand on his shoulder and said: "Don't worry about chasing him—you've done enough. That was great." "WHAT? I thought you said he stole your wallet?" Keisuke said. "I'm sorry about that Keisuke—the truth is, I'm trying to find a group of tamers called the 'Demons'. I already gathered all of the information I needed to know from them, but in order to get it, I had to claim that I wanted to join them and their leader sent that idiot with me to make sure I would steal an account to join. But now that you've gotten rid of him, I'll help you with whatever it is you're doing here to repay you for it." I said.

"Jeez… I had no idea I was getting myself caught in your web of lies… I'm not even sure if I should believe you…" Keisuke said before he went on: "But as long as you're offering to help, I suppose I'll take you up on your offer. Have you seen someone named 'Mephisto', Simon?" My eyes then widened and I said: " _MEPHISTO_? Yes! He was the leader of the Demons that I talked to!" "WHAT? Then you've got to take me to him!" Keisuke said. "You don't have to tell me twice! I said I'd help you with what you're doing after all! Follow me!" I said.

I then took Keisuke back up through Kowloon to that dead end again. When I arrived, I saw Mephisto was still there, and this time he was unprotected! I then pointed to Mephisto and said: "There he is." Keisuke then nodded and I then went up to him, with Keisuke following. It seemed Mephisto heard us though, because he then turned around and said: "Oh, it's you. I trust you have an account for me this time?" but then he eyed Keisuke and said: "Wait a minute—that brat from before?! You two… you were working together?!"

"Not exactly. My friend here helped me, so now I'm returning the favor." I said back. Keisuke then stepped forward and said: "Mephisto! Give me the rest of the accounts you stole!" I couldn't see his face with that mask in the way, but Mephisto looked visibly annoyed and said: "You don't seriously expect me to hand them over just like that, do you?!" "Don't be delusional! If you couldn't defeat me before when it was one-on-one, what chance do you have now?!" Keisuke asked. "I had guards stationed all over! They could have worn you down to the point where victory is within reach—I'm not surrendering now!" Mephisto said. I then turned to Keisuke and said: "Come on! He's no match for the two of us!" "Yeah!" Keisuke said.

Mephisto then called out a Growlmon, but it looked visibly tired. Looks like this one's going to be in the bag! I then called out Agumon, Armadillomon and my own Growlmon, while Keisuke called out a kitten Digimon with a tan body who walked on four legs and had a pretty big head with two eyes and a mouth. Yet oddly enough, its ears were big, floppy-looking ones. It looked about 1'4 tall. He also called out a Digimon that looked almost exactly like Agumon, except it was colored black instead of orange… it was reptilian, very humanoid and walked on two legs and had two claws. It stood upright, like a human. It looked about 2'8. And he also called out his Otamamon again.

Mephisto then said: "Growlmon! Attack Otamamon! Exhaust flame!" and his Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" and spat a stream of black, smoky flames at Otamamon, but he just barely recovered from it. I then said: "Agumon, get him with heavy strike! Growlmon, hit him with a Wolkenapalm 2!" and Agumon said: "Heavy strike!" as he ran up to Mephisto's Growlmon and struck him with his claws. Growlmon then said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to engulf Mephisto's Growlmon. Keisuke then said: "Salamon, use grand cross! Otamamon, hit him with hydro water!" and the kitten Digimon said: "Grand cross!" and caused a shining cross of light to explode at where Mephisto's Growlmon was standing. Otamamon said: "Hydro water!" and blasted Mephisto's Growlmon with a forceful stream of water.

"Grr! Growlmon, use meteor fall!" Mephisto said. His Growlmon then said: "Meteor fall!" and he made a red-hot rock fall from above! It hit all of our Digimon moments later, and it looked like Keisuke's Otamamon was down after that hit… "Aah… sorry, Keisuke." His Otamamon said. Keisuke shook his head and said: "Don't be. You've done great." And called him back. Keisuke then called in a Renamon.

Keisuke then said: "Renamon, get ready to block! BlackAgumon, use guard charge on yourself!" and Keisuke's black-colored Agumon then said: "Guard charge!" and cast a spell on himself that boosted his damage resistance against non-magic attacks. Armadillomon then said: "Diamond shell!" and rolled up to Mephisto's Growlmon, before he smacked into him and rolled on back. Mephisto then said: "Growlmon, hit Agumon with Exhaust flame!" and Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" and burned Agumon. "Agumon, don't let up! Give him another heavy strike! Armadillomon, treat him to a dose of shock!" I said, and Agumon struck Mephisto's Growlmon, while Armadillomon said: "Shock!" and leapt at Growlmon, striking him with his claws, which caused him to fall to his knees, looking dazed! "Urgh! You conniving brat…!" Mephisto said before I said: "It serves you right anyway."

Keisuke then said: "BlackAgumon, use destruction cannon! Renamon, attack with Gaia element!" BlackAgumon then lobbed a blob of darkness at Mephisto's Growlmon before his Renamon said: "Gaia element!" and attacked Mephisto's Growlmon with it! I then said: "Get rid of him Growlmon! Comet hammer 2!" and Growlmon said: "Comet hammer 2!" and sent rocks falling from above crashing down onto Mephisto's Growlmon, who was still up… "It's still going huh? Looks like it's time for us to turn up the heat. Salamon—puppy howl!" Keisuke said. His Salamon then said: "Puppy howl!" and started to shriek loudly, sending sound waves at Mephisto's Growlmon that knocked him over! We did it!

Keisuke then approached Mephisto and said: "You lost. Now hand over the accounts now—or I'll make you regret it!" "Tch… you can't keep the upper hand for long…" Mephisto said. He then approached Keisuke and Keisuke checked his phone as he said: "Hmph. That's all of them this time. Good boy—" but then Mephisto started sprinting away! "Keisuke, he's escaping!" I said as I tried to tackle him down, but missed and crashed on the floor. Mephisto then laughed and said: "You both still have a long way to go—hahahahahaha!"

I then got up and said: "So what do we do? Should we give chase?" "No. I only needed to recover the accounts he stole, and he handed them all over for real this time. There's no need." Keisuke said. He then went on: "Thanks for helping me back there. I was contemplating asking one of my teammates for help, but I'm glad you were willing to do it." "I was just returning the favor. I should be thanking you for helping me lose that Demon!" I said.

Keisuke then crossed his arms before he said: "Yeah, I got swept up in those elaborate lies you were telling… I'm just glad it turned out okay. You might be a little odd, but you're alright." I laughed before I said: "Thanks, I guess. Well, do you need help getting back, Keisuke?" "No thanks. The tamers have largely vanished out there. I should be okay from here." He replied. "Alright then. I guess I'd better be going too…" I began and then I went on: "But if you ever need help, feel free to drop by the Kuremi Detective Agency in Nakano! We'd love to help out anytime!"

Keisuke then looked shocked before I said: "…What's the matter?" and then he recovered and said: "N-nothing…" he then went on: "By the way, if you ever need help with something, you can let me know too. Ask us at Hudie, and we'll be glad to lend a hand!" "Hudie, huh? Okay, I'll remember that name." I said back. Keisuke then said: "Well, I'd best be off. See you around, Simon." I nodded and we went our separate ways. When I made it back to the entrance, I logged out of Kowloon and returned to Nakano Broadway. I then went down to the first floor and went back to Kyoko's office. When I arrived, I opened the door and Kyoko looked up as I said: "Hi Kyoko. I've returned from Kowloon." "Ah, Simon. It looks like that took a while… did everything go okay?" Kyoko asked. "It sure did! I ran into some unexpected hurdles to jump, but everything worked out." I said. "Unexpected hurdles? Like what?" Kyoko asked.

I then recounted the whole thing to her and she said: "That was lucky your acquaintance came by then… but the important thing is that you got Mephisto to admit that the Demons are behind the account raiding on tape. That means this case is as good as solved. You'd best take the wire off and arrange a time to meet with the client, then return it and offer your report to them." "Yes ma'am!" I said. Kyoko then grinned and said: "Excellent. Go for it then, Simon!"

I then went off again and removed the wire before I contacted the client, who could luckily meet later today. When the time was approaching, I went to the meeting place and turned in the wire and told him about Mephisto and the Demons' activities. The subcontractor was impressed and he told me that I could expect them to crack down on the Demons to improve the security of EDEN and its users. A little later, he thanked me again and we parted ways. The day was wrapping up, and I was plenty pleased with it—I had just solved my first big case after working with Kyoko! Hopefully there will be more of them before my time working in Japan will end…


	13. Keisuke: Slipping away like sand

Keisuke Chapter 7—Slipping away like sand—

When the next day came, I logged into Kowloon level 1 at 10:40, hoping to encounter Mephisto early. I moved in further to the appointed spot, arriving at 10:50, and waited for a while… although it started to feel like I had been waiting for quite some time as time passed. Finally, I checked my phone and it said it was 11:10. I was very surprised when I saw this… I didn't expect Mephisto to be late.

Just then though, it started to ring! I checked and it was a call from Ryuji. I answered it and said: "Hello?" I then heard Ryuji say: "There's been a change of plan, Keisuke. There's something I want you to investigate." "WHAT? What do you mean?" I asked. "I know the Steam Dealer mentioned that the meeting was going to take place in Kowloon level 1… but the problem is, I got a message from Zaxon. According to them, a massive horde of Steam Dealers has been spotted in the next floor up from where you are, Kowloon level 2." Ryuji said.

"You think they tricked us?" I asked. "If they're all up there, it wouldn't surprise me. Besides, if this Mephisto hasn't shown up in 10 minutes past when he was supposed to be there, I doubt he'll show up at all… so go on and see what all the commotion is about." Ryuji said. "Yes sir!" I said.

I then started sprinting to the lift on Kowloon level 1, which I used to get to Kowloon level 2. When I arrived, I kept running forward and saw what Ryuji said was correct—this place was swarming with Steam Dealers! I couldn't avoid some of them and had to have a couple minor battles, but they weren't anything my Digimon couldn't handle. Eventually, I went around a side path further in and came to a dead end, but I found a Steam Dealer… and he was accompanied by a strange man.

He wore a suit, slacks and a tie and he also had a weird mask on that was white with black lips, a black left eye, and a purple star around the right eye. They were talking to each other and I finally began to approach them. It seemed they heard me, because the strange-looking man and the Steam Dealer turned to me and the strange-looking man said: "Hmm… and who might you be?" before the Steam Dealer said: "Sir! It's him! That boy is one of the ones who broke into our server!" "Ah, so this is the intruder you said would be coming, eh?" the strange-looking man replied. I frowned and said: "I knew it! I knew you'd set me up!" before the Steam Dealer said: "You stupid brat! Did you expect anything less?! Now come on! I'll get you back for breaking into our server!"

He then called out two Digimon that looked almost exactly the same… one of them was a Digimon that looked like a giant gear, but it was colored orange with yellow edges and had orange cogs that looked almost like hands. It looked 1'8 tall. The other one was also like a giant gear, with cogs that looked almost like hands and it also had yellow edges. The only difference was that it had a black interior and silver cogs. It also looked 1'8 tall. I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Solarmon scan data: 20%, Hagurumon scan data: 20%." It also said Solarmon was a vaccine Digimon while Hagurumon was a virus Digimon, so I called out Salamon, Lunamon and Renamon. I then said: "Salamon, get Hagurumon! Use holy light! Renamon, get Solarmon with Gaia Element!" and Salamon said: "Holy light!" and hit Hagurumon with an exploding, shining cross while Renamon said: "Gaia element!" and made a big green sphere of energy engulf Solarmon (both of them took it hard). The Steam Dealer then said: "Solarmon, attack the Salamon! Use shiny ring! Hagurumon, hit the Lunamon with a nanomachine break!" and Solarmon said: "Shiny ring!" and threw a shining, golden gear at Salamon before Hagurumon said: "Nanomachine break!" and shocked Lunamon with electricity (which she took pretty hard). Lunamon then said: "Tearing shot!" and sent a bubble flying at Solarmon (which he took hard).

I then said: "Lunamon, Renamon! Attack Solarmon again, same as last time!" and then Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and Renamon said: "Gaia element!" and they hit Solarmon again… and he wouldn't get up! "Argh! Hagurumon, get rid of Lunamon quick! Cog crusher!" the Steam Dealer said. Hagurumon then said: "Cog crusher!" and threw a black gear at Lunamon, who rose a bit more slowly. When Salamon saw this, she said: "Heal!" and restored Lunamon's health!

"Argh! It knows how to heal too?!" the Steam Dealer said. I grinned and said: "You'll be lucky if your problems stop there. Lunamon, give him an idle bubble!" and then Lunamon said: "Idle bubble!" and sent a smaller bubble at Hagurumon, which hit him. Hagurumon didn't have any trouble recovering from it at first, but then he collapsed and fell asleep! "What?! Come on!" the Steam Dealer said. I then chuckled and said: "Alright girls, attack together! Holy light, Gaia element and Tearing shot!" and then Salamon said: "Holy light!" Renamon said: "Gaia Element!" and Lunamon said: "Tearing shot!" and they all blasted Hagurumon, who was soundly dozing. After one more round of that, he fell forward and the Steam Dealer called him back! We won!

"I can't believe it! I got beaten by a brat from Hudie again?!" the Steam Dealer said. "So you were one of those three from before, eh? Well it serves you right." I said back to him. I then turned to the strange-looking man and said: "And you must be Mephisto." The strange-looking man then turned to the Steam Dealer and said: "You actually told them?" "They—they were threatening us sir…" the Steam Dealer said and the strange-looking man said: "That doesn't matter. I made it clear to you when we became business partners that if anyone asks… you _don't_ use my name!"

"Having a little falling out?" I teased. Mephisto and the Steam Dealer then turned to me and Mephisto said: "…Perhaps." "S-sir!" the Steam Dealer said and then Mephisto said: "Shut up." "Well that's fine with me. Your little business spats are fine with me, you both keep that up. But that's not the point. There's no one left to guard you now! You're mine, Mephisto!" I said.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, boy. What do you think you're doing, picking a fight with someone as dangerous as me?" He replied. "That's none of your business." I said back. "Well now! You're nowhere near as loose-lipped as these idiots I'm subcontracting with, even under pressure! Heh-heh… if we weren't about to fight, I'd want you to have their jobs!" Mephisto said and then the Steam Dealer he was with said: "Ugh…"

"Oh please! Now come on! You'd better not underestimate me either!" I said. "Heh-heh… we'll see. Don't worry; I may let you work for me–instead of stealing your account data—if you lose!" Mephisto said. He then called out a tall, impressive dinosaur-like Digimon that walked on two legs… it had a red body and white underbelly with a black symbol there. Its tail was really straight and it had two horns, as well as some pointed ears and its hands at the ends of its arms ended in claws, but looked more like hands. It also had white hair on the top of its head and was about 5'10 tall. I felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Growlmon scan data: 15%". It said Growlmon was a virus Digimon too, so I called out Salamon, Otamamon and BlackAgumon.

I then said: "BlackAgumon, give Otamamon a boost! Guard charge! Salamon, hit him with holy light!" And BlackAgumon said: "Guard charge!" and cast a spell on Otamamon that boost his damage resistance against non-magic attacks while Salamon said: "Holy light!" and hit Growlmon with a shining, exploding cross—he took it pretty hard, too! Mephisto then said: "Growlmon, scorch Otamamon! Exhaust flame!" and Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" as he spat up smoky, black flames that burned Otamamon. I then said: "Otamamon, hit him with hydro water! Salamon, time for another holy light!" and Otamamon said: "Hydro water!" and sprayed Growlmon with a forceful stream of water. Salamon followed through with a holy light too. Mephisto then said: "Growlmon, Wolkenapalm 2! Target the BlackAgumon!" and Growlmon said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and caused an explosion of fire to burn BlackAgumon.

BlackAgumon recovered and then said: "Destruction cannon!" and lobbed a blob of darkness that hit Growlmon. I then said: "Otamamon, BlackAgumon! Give him a hydro water and a Wolkenapalm!" and Otamamon sprayed him again while BlackAgumon caused an explosion of fire to engulf Growlmon. "Argh… Growlmon, use meteor fall!" Mephisto said. Growlmon then said: "Meteor fall!" and made a big, red-hot rock come crashing down from above on all of my Digimon!

When they recovered, Salamon said: "Holy light!" and hit Growlmon with it again. BlackAgumon then followed through and said: "Destruction cannon!" and sent another purple blob at Growlmon. "Growlmon, get Otamamon with an exhaust flame!" Mephisto said and Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" and burned Otamamon again. I then said: "It's time to turn up the heat! Otamamon, hydro water! Salamon, puppy howl!" and Otamamon sprayed Growlmon again while Salamon said: "Puppy howl!" and shrieked loudly, sending sound waves at Growlmon that caused him to fall into a kneeling position, breathing hard!

Mephisto then looked down and said: "Dah! To have been done in by such a rookie…!" while I said: "You lost. Now hand over the accounts you stole!" "…Alright, fine." Mephisto said. He then took out his phone and I felt mine vibrate. I looked at it and saw that Mephisto had transferred the accounts to me… but they weren't all here! There were less than what Zaxon had said he had stolen! I then looked up and saw that Mephisto was gone! "Why that coward…!" I said. I then ran after him further into Kowloon. I kept going down the passageways, finding other Steam Dealers stationed about as I went—and eluding their detection took some quick reflexes. It looks like finding Mephisto won't be so easy…

But then I suddenly heard a: "HEY!" and immediately turned my head in the direction of the voice and saw someone come skidding out from around an arch! I then heard a familiar voice yell: "Stop, thief!" and saw… that guy from the west, Simon, come running out from behind the arch! I then said: "Simon? What's going on?" He then turned to me and said: "Keisuke! Am I ever glad to see you! This guy stole my wallet!" The guy then said: "What? What do you—" and then Simon said: "Please, Keisuke! Help me get it back!" I then nodded and said: "Alright!" and I called out Lunamon, Renamon and Otamamon. Simon then called out a Growlmon, Renamon and a regular Agumon, much like a yellow-orange colored version of my BlackAgumon. The other tamer looked furious said to Simon: "So this was your plan, huh? Grr, I'll make you pay for this!" and then he called out a small, bee-like Digimon that was exceptionally cute… it had a yellow-orange body, brown stripes, three legs, four clear wings, two blue antennae and three silver barbs around its backside, complete with a silver stinger. It looked 1'5 tall. The other was a Solarmon, but we beat them down easily.

After we defeated the tamer, he said to Simon: "You brat…! I don't know what you're doing, but I'll get you for that!" and he ran away further backwards into Kowloon, back to the entrance… "Get back here!" I yelled and I started to run after him before Simon put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Don't worry about chasing him—you've done enough. That was great." "WHAT? I thought you said he stole your wallet?" I said. "I'm sorry about that Keisuke—the truth is I'm trying to find a group of tamers called the 'Demons'. I already gathered all of the information I needed to know from them, but in order to get it, I had to claim that I wanted to join, and their leader sent that idiot with me to make sure I would steal an account to join. But now that you've gotten rid of him, I'll help you with whatever it is you're doing here to repay you for it." Simon said.

"Jeez… I had no idea I was getting myself caught in your web of lies… I'm not even sure if I should believe you…" I said before I went on: "But as long as you're offering to help, I suppose I'll take you up on your offer. Have you seen someone named 'Mephisto', Simon?" Simon's eyes then widened and then he said: " _MEPHISTO_? Yes! He was the leader of the Demons that I talked to!" "WHAT? Then you've got to take me to him!" I said. "You don't have to tell me twice! I said I'd help you with what you're doing after all! Follow me!" Simon said.

I then followed Simon back up through Kowloon to another dead end. When I arrived, I saw Mephisto was still there, and this time he was unprotected! Simon then pointed to Mephisto and said: "There he is." I nodded and Simon then went up to him, with me following. It seemed Mephisto heard us though, because then he turned around and he looked at Simon as he said: "Oh, it's you. I trust you have an account for me this time?" but then he eyed me and said: "Wait a minute—that brat from before?! You two… you were working together?!"

"Not exactly. My friend here helped me, so now I'm returning the favor." Simon said back. I then stepped forward and said: "Mephisto! Give me the rest of the accounts you stole!" I couldn't see his face with that mask in the way, but Mephisto looked visibly annoyed and said: "You don't seriously expect me to hand them over just like that, do you?!" "Don't be delusional! If you couldn't defeat me before when it was one-on-one, what chance do you have now?!" I asked. "I had guards stationed all over! They could have worn you down to the point where victory is within reach—I'm not surrendering now!" Mephisto said. Simon then turned to me and said: "Come on! He's no match for the two of us!" "Yeah!" I said.

Mephisto then called out his Growlmon again, but it looked visibly tired. I called out Salamon, BlackAgumon and Otamamon while Simon called out Agumon, Growlmon and a Digimon like a little armadillo. It had a hard, brown shell and four brown legs, as well as a purple underbelly and yellow skin on its face, ears, feet and even on a short tail! It had silver toenails and looked 1'7 tall.

Mephisto then said: "Growlmon! Attack Otamamon! Exhaust flame!" and his Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" and spat a stream of black, smoky flames at Otamamon, but he just barely recovered from it. Simon then said: "Agumon, get him with heavy strike! Growlmon, hit him with a Wolkenapalm 2!" and Agumon said: "Heavy strike!" as he ran up to Mephisto's Growlmon and struck him with his claws. Growlmon then said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to engulf Mephisto's Growlmon. I then said: "Salamon, use grand cross! Otamamon, hit him with hydro water!" and Salamon said: "Grand cross!" and caused a shining cross of light to explode at where Mephisto's Growlmon was standing. Otamamon said: "Hydro water!" and blasted Mephisto's Growlmon with a forceful stream of water.

"Grr! Growlmon, use meteor fall!" Mephisto said. His Growlmon then said: "Meteor fall!" and he made a red-hot rock fall from above! It hit all of our Digimon moments later, and Otamamon was down after that hit… "Aah… sorry, Keisuke." Otamamon said. I shook my head and said: "Don't be. You've done great." And I called him back. I then called in Renamon.

I then said: "Renamon, get ready to block! BlackAgumon, use guard charge on yourself!" and BlackAgumon then said: "Guard charge!" and cast a spell on himself that boosted his damage resistance against non-magic attacks. Armadillomon then said: "Diamond shell!" and rolled up to Mephisto's Growlmon, before he smacked into him and rolled on back. Mephisto then said: "Growlmon, hit Agumon with Exhaust flame!" and Growlmon said: "Exhaust flame!" and burned Agumon. "Agumon, don't let up! Give him another heavy strike! Armadillomon, treat him to a dose of shock!" Simon said, and Agumon struck Mephisto's Growlmon, while Armadillomon said: "Shock!" and leapt at Growlmon, striking him with his claws, which caused him to fall to his knees, looking dazed! "Urgh! You conniving brat…!" Mephisto said before Simon said: "It serves you right anyway."

I then said: "BlackAgumon, use destruction cannon! Renamon, attack with Gaia element!" BlackAgumon then lobbed a blob of darkness at Mephisto's Growlmon before Renamon said: "Gaia element!" and attacked Mephisto's Growlmon with it! Simon then said: "Get rid of him Growlmon! Comet hammer 2!" and Growlmon said: "Comet hammer 2!" and sent rocks falling from above crashing down onto Mephisto's Growlmon, who was still up… "It's still going huh? Looks like it's time for us to turn up the heat. Salamon—puppy howl!" I said. Salamon then said: "Puppy howl!" and started to shriek loudly, sending sound waves at Mephisto's Growlmon that knocked him over! We did it!

I then approached Mephisto and said: "You lost. Now hand over the accounts now—or I'll make you regret it!" "Tch… you can't keep the upper hand for long…" Mephisto said. He then approached me and I checked my phone as I said: "Hmph. That's all of them this time. Good boy—" and then I heard Simon say: "Keisuke, he's escaping!" and I looked up as I saw Simon try to tackle him down but he missed and crashed on the floor. Mephisto then laughed and said: "You both still have a long way to go—hahahahahaha!"

Simon then got up and he said: "So what do we do? Should we give chase?" "No. I only needed to recover the accounts he stole, and he handed them all over for real this time. There's no need." I said. Then I went on: "Thanks for helping me back there. I was contemplating asking one of my teammates for help, but I'm glad you were willing to do it." "I was just returning the favor. I should be thanking you for helping me lose that Demon!" Simon said.

I then crossed my arms before I said: "Yeah, I got swept up in those elaborate lies you were telling… I'm just glad it turned out okay. You might be a little odd, but you're alright." Simon laughed before he said: "Thanks, I guess. Well do you need help getting back, Keisuke?" "No thanks. The tamers have largely vanished out there. I should be okay from here." I replied. "Alright then. I guess I'd better be going too…" Simon began and then he went on: "But if you ever need help, feel free to drop by the Kuremi Detective Agency in Nakano! We'd love to help out anytime!"

When I heard this, I was shocked. The Kuremi Detective Agency… that was where that poison-brewing cyber sleuth Kyoko was! And for Simon to reference it… did that mean Kyoko was his employer?! How does he do it…? I then heard Simon say: "…What's the matter?" and then I recovered and said: "N-nothing…" before I went on: "By the way, if you ever need help with something, you can let me know too. Ask us at Hudie, and we'll be glad to lend a hand!" "Hudie, huh? Okay, I'll remember that name." Simon said back. I then said: "Well, I'd best be off. See you around, Simon."

He nodded and then we went our separate ways. I went back to the entrance and logged out. When I arrived back at the office, I looked around for Ryuji and couldn't find him… I then took out my phone and called him. Soon I heard a: "Hello?" and I said: "Hi Ryuji! I have some great news! I recovered the accounts Zaxon wanted!" "Oh that's great! And they're all there? The exact number Zaxon quoted?" Ryuji asked. "Yup! I've double checked!" I said. Ryuji then gave a sigh of relief before he said: "That's great. I'm also impressed that you handled that mission all by yourself, to be honest. Alright, as soon as I get back I'll take the accounts and send them to Zaxon. You're off the hook until then, but I'll call you when I return to meet up, so don't keep me waiting too long after I do." "Understood! See you Ryuji!" I said.

I then trained my Digimon for a little while and then went back to the Digilab when I was done. When I arrived, I said: "Hi Mirei—" and then she looked up and said: "Oh Keisuke. I'm glad to see you. Do you have a minute? I have something I think you might be interested in." "I do, yes. But what is it?" I asked. "An update for your phone I finished making. With it, it will increase the memory on your phone so you can take more Digimon with you!" Mirei said.

"Really? That's great! How do I install it?" I asked. "I'll E-mail it to you. Just open the attachment and follow the instructions." Mirei said. That sounded a little sketchy… but I believed Mirei wouldn't try to do anything, so I gave her my E-mail address and once she sent it, I opened it (and the attachment) and it asked if I wanted to install the update, to which I said yes, and then it started to do so until it said: "UPDATE COMPLETE". I then tried using it and saw that my phone's memory _had_ increased—there was a lot more free space now!

When I saw it, I grinned and said: "Alright, it works! Thanks, Mirei!" Mirei nodded and said: "Sure. While it depends on how digivolved the Digimon are, the general rule of thumb now will be that you can take 6 Digimon with you. So make the most of them, Keisuke." "You bet!" I said back. I then went to the farm island and took out all my Digimon (since I could now fit them all into my phone) and checked to see if any of them could digivolve… and I was surprised to see that they all could! I smiled when I saw it and I called them all out immediately. When they were all out, Salamon said: "What are we all doing in the Digilab, Keisuke?" "I checked the terminal here, and it says you can all digivolve! So I wanted to have everyone out for this occasion!" I said back.

Everyone then looked excited and I started by preparing to digivolve Lunamon into a Lekismon. Lunamon then became a colorless wireframe and when the process was finished, she had digivolved into a Lekismon—a humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs and had pale pink skin. She had yellow moons on her legs and black bands around her ankles. She also had a blue-colored top that had a black medal with a silver crescent moon bound around it. She had black fingerless gloves on her hands and blue-colored strands coming out of her back. She was wearing a silver helm over her forehead and around her eyes that was bound around her head by a pink band that had two long pink ribbons streaming from the back. There was a hole in the helm on her forehead and a strand of blue-colored skin protruded from it, which curved backwards towards her face. She had ten ears (the top two of which had blue-colored stripes) and looked 4'2 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Alright Lekismon! Now you're my first champion level Digimon!" and Lekismon smiled back and said: "And I'm happy to be the first! But I know everyone else will do great when they digivolve too! We'll do great work together." And she went off to the side.

Next I chose to digivolve Dracomon into a BlueCoredramon. Dracomon reshaped into a colorless wireframe and then Digivolved into a BlueCoredramon—an impressive blue dragon Digimon that walked on two legs and had a tan underbelly and tan wings. He had three claws that were more like a dinosaur's than a dragon's at the end of his arms—he also had three sharp looking-toenails at the ends of his feet. He had two red horns at the top of his head and a red nose tusk. He also had red spikes down his back and tail. He looked 5'6 tall.

When the process was done, I said: "Great job, BlueCoredramon! You look really cool now too!" and BlueCoredramon grinned and said: "That's what I wanted to hear! Things are looking way up now between that and digivolving!" and he roared out triumphantly. He then went over with Lekismon.

After that, I moved on to digivolve Salamon into a Gatomon. Salamon's body became a colorless wireframe and then reshaped itself into a Gatomon—a small cat Digimon who had two arms with odd gloves with sharp-looking claws covering up her paws. Her fur was white and she had two eyes, two ears (although the ears had some purple fur on them) and a tail with an impressive gold ring around it. She looked 2'10 tall.

When the process ended, I smiled and said: "Nice going, Gatomon! Your hard work really paid off!" Gatomon smiled back and said: "I'm glad I could help you. I'll keep going and working hard too!" and she went off with Lekismon and BlueCoredramon.

Once that ended, I then digivolved Renamon into a Kyubimon—a Digimon like a fox who walked on four legs and had yellow-orange fur and paws that were surrounded by bluish flames. She also had 9 tails that were very tall and a yin-yang symbol on her body and a ribbon-like ornament around her neck. She looked about 3'3 tall, although her tails were about as big as she was, making her appear taller.

I then said: "Congratulations, Kyubimon! You're doing great." Kyubimon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. I'll keep working hard and do my best for the team!" and she went off with the others.

Next I digivolved BlackAgumon into a BlueGreymon. BlackAgumon became a colorless wireframe and reshaped himself into a BlueGreymon—a giant dinosaur Digimon, with blue skin and black stripes on his back. He had two legs, two tiny arms with claws at the end (much like a T-Rex) and a big head with an odd black shell that had two horns and a tusk over his nose. His claws and toenails were blue too. He looked about 7'10 tall.

Once the process ended, I said: "Woo, yeah! Great job BlueGreymon! You've really grown too!" BlueGreymon chuckled and said: "Yup, my hard work has paid off! I'll keep putting it in too!" and then he went off with the others.

And finally, I digivolved Otamamon into Seadramon. Similar to BlueGreymon, Otamamon had a massive growth spurt in size with his digivolution—now he was an enormous, floating sea serpent! He had an aquamarine colored back and white underbelly, with some aquamarine colored flippers. His head had two eyes, a mouth and a yellow-orange helmet-like cover over the upper half of his head. He looked 8 feet tall. "Alright! A job well done, Seadramon. You've sure grown a lot too. How's the world look from up there?" I joked. He laughed and said: "It's something alright. Maybe I'll send you a postcard, complete with the view." We both laughed and then everyone celebrated. I then called them back to my phone and then I suddenly got a call.

I checked and saw it was from Ryuji! I picked up my phone and answered it and said: "Hey Ryuji! You're back at the office now, I trust?" "Exactly. I don't know what you're doing right now, but wrap it up and come on back here—Zaxon will be glad to see the case done so fast." He replied. "Got it! Hold on a moment…" I said. I then said goodbye and hung up. After I thanked Mirei, I left the Digilab and returned to the office. I then met Ryuji and gave him the accounts I had 'acquired' from Mephisto. Ryuji was very satisfied when he saw they were the right number and said he'd handle the rest and thanked me before I left. It was very gratifying helping to reverse all the account theft that was going on—it made me feel good to give some people back their accounts, knowing how painful it was to lose one…


	14. Keisuke: Master-ful recruitment

Keisuke Chapter 8—Master-ful recruitment—

The next day I went into the office and checked the BBS for cases… but there weren't any new ones today. I guess we're doing a good job keeping up to speed… I then closed the BBS and thought through my next move. I remembered the last time this happened, Erika had told me to "train my Digimon or work on my hacking". All of my Digimon were champion levels though… maybe it's time I digiconverted some new Digimon to raise.

I then went back to the Digilab and greeted Mirei before I went to the terminal in the lower-right corner and checked if I could digiconvert any new Digimon. I saw I had enough scan data for several, so I ended up deciding to digiconvert a Botamon. Once the process was complete, I stroked Botamon and welcomed it into the team before I put Seadramon and BlueCoredramon into the farm island and added Botamon to my phone.

I then headed out to Kowloon level 1 to train my new Digimon. I kept Botamon on the frontlines most of the time, using Gatomon and Lekismon's healing skills to keep it healthy. After a while passed, I returned to the Digilab to see if Botamon could digivolve—and it could! I then digivolved Botamon into a Wanyamon—a small cat Digimon with no arms or legs… it had cyan fur with navy blue stripes, a white chin, two ears and a tail attached to the back of its head. It looked 8 inches tall.

When the process finished, I said: "Great job, Wanyamon! It's great that you managed to digivolve so quickly already!" and Wanyamon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke! I agree and I'm really excited about it—I'm going to keep working hard and digivolve into something amazing someday!" When I heard this, I smiled at him and said: "I'm sure you will. We'll do it together!" and Wanyamon nodded and hopped over with us.

Now that Wanyamon had digivolved, I decided to take him to a more challenging training ground this time. I took him up to Kowloon level 3 and started training him (along with the others) in battles we had along the way. Wanyamon was getting experience quickly and enjoyed battling alongside the others. I was enjoying watching him climb the ranks too, as we explored. Eventually, we got further in and the encounters started to slow down a little… As we were walking together, Gatomon said: "Aren't there any Digimon left? What's going on?" and Kyubimon said: "We'll see more of them soon… we'll just have to be patient." And Wanyamon said: "I'll bet you're right, Kyubimon! There'll be more chances to train! I can feel it!" and we all smiled together, but that didn't last long—shortly after we did, we heard a girl's voice yell: "Eyaaah! I'm done for!" We all looked around and Wanyamon said: "What was THAT?" "It sounded like it came from somewhere nearby! Let's search!" Gatomon said. "I agree with that! Let's go everybody!" I said.

We then went running around the area and eventually I went around a corner… and saw a small rabbit-like Digimon that walked on two legs and had two arms, two eyes, two giant ears that were taller than it was and three horns at the top of its head. It had light brown fur, but the fur around its ears was pink and it also had a bandana-shaped area of fur around its neck that had pink fur too. It looked about 1'4, and it was being attacked by two Digimon that each were Digimon that walked on two legs, had two arms, had green skin and were rather muscular. They wore a brown vest and brown shorts and held a club with nails stuck in it. They had mahogany-colored Mohawks and stood at about 3'4. They were also accompanied by another Digimon… it was a red mammalian creature who walked on two legs and had two arms (each had three nails at the ends). It had a white underbelly and purple stripes on its body. It also had nine tails and it looked 2'4 tall.

When I saw this, I said: "HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" and the green Digimon turned around (along with the striped Digimon) and one of the green Digimon said: "Eh? We're just having some fun. What about it?" "You'd pick on a Digimon that's disadvantaged against you for fun?" Wanyamon said, and then Gatomon said: "How could you… that's so mean!" and then Kyubimon said: "Hmph. What shameful amateurs you are… it doesn't take any skill to attack a disadvantaged opponent and with numbers on your side, no less…" The rabbit-like Digimon looked up as the green Digimon said: "What'd you say?! Maybe we'll pick on _you_ for being such a smart mouth!" "I like that idea! I'd be more than happy to teach you thugs some manners!" I said. "That's it! You're on!" the striped Digimon said.

I then said to the rabbit-like Digimon: "We've got this! Now go home, already!" and checked my phone. It said: "Left to right: Goblimon scan data: 40%. Elecmon scan data: 20%." It also said Goblimon was a virus Digimon and Elecmon was a data, so I called Kyubimon back and sent in BlueGreymon to replace her. One of the Goblimon then ran up to Gatomon and said: "Shock!" and smacked Gatomon squarely on the head with his club. Gatomon fell down into a sitting position and looked dazed… I then said: "Wanyamon, get him back! Wind claw! BlueGreymon, scorch them! Meteor fall!" and Wanyamon said: "Wind claw!" and hopped over to the Goblimon as he was recovering and leapt at him, raking him with his tail.

The Goblimon actually looked a little shaken by this and then Wanyamon hopped away before BlueGreymon said: "Meteor fall!" and made a red-hot rock come falling down from above onto the Goblimon and Elecmon! They all recoiled and got back up and then the Elecmon ran up to BlueGreymon and said: "Ripping net!" and his tails started to crackle with electricity before he swung them at BlueGreymon! "Urgh!" BlueGreymon said as he fell down. He got back up, but rather slowly… it looks like he got paralyzed… the other Goblimon then said: "Goblin Strike!" and threw a fireball at Wanyamon. He managed to recover from the hit though. "Gatomon, get the Goblimon that just attacked back! Holy light 2!" Gatomon didn't respond though, and instead looked thoroughly dazed… "Gatomon?" I said. "I… I think she's suffering from the 'stun' status condition, Keisuke… it takes a Digimon out of commission for a little bit, so they can't do anything." BlueGreymon said.

"Oh great…" I said and one of the Goblimon said: "Ha ha! You shouldn't have challenged us if you can't handle that!" The Elecmon then said: "Heaven's thunder!" and zapped Wanyamon with electricity. I then said: "BlueGreymon! Can you hit Elecmon with a bit fire?" and then BlueGreymon lifted his head up, but then lowered it again and shook his head. "Ah, jeez… Wanyamon, get ready to block!" I said. Wanyamon then assumed a defensive position as the Goblimon attacked BlueGreymon with goblin strikes.

Just then though, Gatomon got up! I then gave a sigh of relief and said: "Payback time! Gatomon, blast the Goblimon we've hit twice with a holy light 2!" and then Gatomon said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining cross explode where the Goblimon was standing and it knocked him down… but he wouldn't get up! "Great job, Gatomon!" I said. Then I went on: "Wanyamon, keep blocking!" and he stayed in a defensive position. Elecmon then zapped Wanyamon with a heaven's thunder again (and Wanyamon was starting to look weaker) before Gatomon said: "Aura!" and cast a spell that healed everyone on our side! Wanyamon then looked much better and the Goblimon who could still fight said: "What?! You've got to be kidding me!" "Ha ha! You shouldn't have challenged us if you can't handle that!" I said mockingly.

BlueGreymon looked like he was trying to rise, but it looked like it didn't quite work… Elecmon then said: "Ripping net!" and he struck Gatomon with his tails as she looked like she was in pain too. What a nuisance! Wanyamon then said: "Wind claw!" and struck the remaining Goblimon with his tail. BlueGreymon then rose though, and I said: "BlueGreymon, give that Elecmon all you've got! Bit fire!" and BlueGreymon said: "Bit fire!" and spat up three fireballs that burned Elecmon! "Yeow!" Elecmon said as he fell down and wouldn't get up either!

The Goblimon that was left suddenly started to look panicked and he said: "Shock!" as he tried to hit BlueGreymon with his club, but BlueGreymon sidestepped the blow. I then said: "Finish him off! Wanyamon, wind claw! BlueGreymon, bit fire! Gatomon, holy light 2!" and while Gatomon looked overcome by pain, at least Wanyamon and BlueGreymon got in there—and knocked Goblimon out!

When the last Goblimon fell, the Elecmon said: "How'd we lose to bleeding hearts like them?" BlueGreymon then stepped forward and said: "Care to repeat that remark?" one of the Goblimon shook his head and said: "Forget it! Let's get out of here!" and they all ran off. I then moved in towards the rabbit-like Digimon and said: "Are you alright? You'll be safe now." The rabbit-like Digimon then looked up and said: "Oh thank you so much for saving me! You're a really kind human." I smiled and said: "Thanks. It was only the right thing to do, though. Who are you, anyway?"

The rabbit-like Digimon then said: "I'm Lopmon. It's nice to meet you!" and I smiled as I said: "The pleasure is mine, Lopmon." And my Digimon came up behind me before I said: "Oh yeah, I haven't introduced my Digimon yet, have I?" and then I put my hand on Gatomon's head as I said: "This is my Gatomon. She's real sweet and works well with the team." Gatomon then smiled shyly as she said: "Thanks Keisuke…" and then I walked over to BlueGreymon as I said: "This is BlueGreymon. He's a hard worker and looks out for us." And BlueGreymon chuckled and said: "You're right as rain, Keisuke! And I'm glad to!" and then I walked over to Wanyamon and put my hand on his head as I said: "And this is Wanyamon. He's new on the team, but he's a rising star and has a good attitude." Wanyamon then smiled as he said: "I'm a rising star? I like the sound of that!"

And we all laughed together before Lopmon smiled and she said: "You're all a really good team. That's very impressive." I smiled and I said: "Thanks." And then I went on: "But there's still something I'm a little curious about…" and Lopmon said: "Hmm?" before I said: "Why is it that you didn't escape while we were fighting those Digimon? You could have left the danger zone completely." "…I didn't really have anywhere to escape to. I was just wandering around in the first place…" Lopmon replied.

I felt sorry for her when I heard this… she must be a Digimon that recently came here… I would hate to let her go off on her own, so I said: "Well would you like to come with me then, Lopmon? I'd be happy to look after you and help you out." Lopmon's head then shot up and she said: "You'd really do that… for a stranger?" "I know it may sound odd… but that's just the way I am. I'm always happy to help out a Digimon." I replied. Lopmon then ran up to my leg and hugged it as she said: "I accept! I'm so lucky to have run into you… thank you, master!"

I then felt a little awkward as I said: "You don't have to call me 'master', Lopmon… my name is Keisuke." And then Lopmon said: "Er… right! Sorry, master!" I then closed my eyes for a second… she must be that kind of overly formal Digimon… I guess I'll have to set aside my complaints for now… I then opened them and said: "Well alright then. Now that Lopmon's with us, let's get back to training, everyone!" and everyone cheered before we resumed training in Kowloon. It was fun to keep going and Lopmon did a good job in battles. She actually didn't seem to have as much trouble as my other Digimon did when they were new to it… I guess she's a natural.

We kept going as a team until Wanyamon and Lopmon were starting to get tired, at which point I went with them to the Digilab. Once I arrived, I decided to check if Wanyamon and Lopmon could digivolve. At the terminal, it said Lopmon couldn't, but at least Wanyamon could! I then called out my Digimon and when they were out, Lekismon said: "What are we all doing out, Keisuke? Is something exciting happening again?"

I grinned and said: "It sure is! Wanyamon's all ready to digivolve, so I wanted everyone to see!" "That's great! Go for it, Wanyamon!" Kyubimon said. "Thanks everybody!" Wanyamon said. I then digivolved Wanyamon into a Ryudamon. When the process ended, I smiled and said: "Great work, Ryudamon! It's been a real whirlwind so far, but you've been holding up just fine! Congratulations!" Ryudamon grinned back and said: "Yeah! And I know this'll keep up, too! Let the good times roll!" and we all smiled before I went to the farm island to show BlueCoredramon and Seadramon. When we arrived, we all went in and I saw Seadramon swimming around happily in the water at the shore, while BlueCoredramon was looking up at the sky with a content look on his face.

I smiled when I saw it and said: "Hey guys!" and BlueCoredramon and Seadramon turned to me and Seadramon said: "Oh, Keisuke! I was wondering when you'd come back!" "Yeah! We were looking forward to it!" BlueCoredramon said. I smiled as I approached them and before I could say anything, BlueCoredramon said: "Wait… who's the Lopmon?" she turned to me and I looked down at her and said: "Well go on. You can introduce yourself." Lopmon nodded and said: "Yes master—" and then BlueCoredramon and Seadramon looked a little surprised before Lopmon said: "I'm a stray Digimon master found in Kowloon. Luckily, he was willing to take me in, so I'm excited to be here!" Seadramon grinned and said: "You've got a good attitude there, Lopmon. It's nice to meet you!" and BlueCoredramon said: "Yeah. You look like a promising new recruit!"

Lopmon smiled and I said: "Yup, she's something special. But Lopmon isn't the only Digimon I came to show off. Check out what Botamon digivolved into!" and Ryudamon stepped forward before Seadramon said: "Woo-hoo! That's one nice digivolution! Ryudamon are pretty rare too, so that's lucky for you both!" "That's right. You both must have worked hard to pull off a digivolution like that!" BlueCoredramon said. I smiled as Ryudamon said: "It was a tough training regimen, but that's part of what made me so strong! I know I'll get better too!"

We all smiled and then I said: "So that was that—I just wanted to show him off to you. I'll be coming back to rotate my Digimon out soon, so you can expect to be back in action soon enough, Seadramon and BlueCoredramon." "Alright! Sounds good to me!" BlueCoredramon said. "Alright! I'm good no matter what you do though—I love having somewhere to swim and stretch my flippers!" Seadramon said. I smiled and said: "I'm glad you enjoy it here. Alright, sit tight guys—I'll be back!" and BlueCoredramon and Seadramon smiled and nodded and I left the farm island. I then left the Digilab and went back to the office. I checked the BBS, but unfortunately, no new cases were in…

It looks like today was shaping up to be one slow day! But just then though, I got a call! I checked the number… and it was Ryuji's! I picked up the phone and said: "Hello?" and Ryuji said: "Hey Keisuke, it's me. Do you have a second?" "Absolutely! The BBS is empty, so I've got nothing but time on my hands. What is it?" I asked. "That works for me, because a new case has come in—this is going to be a big one too. Stop by the office soon—I want to discuss the details with you in person." Ryuji said. "I'm here right now actually, and I'll be happy to! Where do you want to meet?" I asked.

"Oh, so you're here now, huh? That's convenient—it'll save some time. Alright, come look for me in the back in the area with the cubicles." Ryuji said. "You got it! See you in a minute!" I said. We then said goodbye and I hung up. I wasn't sure what to expect from this case… but I was sure it would be something to be excited about after how Ryuji had introduced it!


	15. Keisuke: Dirty cash, dirty deeds

Keisuke Chapter 9—Dirty cash, dirty deeds—

I headed further in, looking for Ryuji. Soon I found him and said: "Hi Ryuji. What's this big case you were telling me about?" Ryuji then turned to me and said: "Ah, Keisuke. Yes, this case is one directly from the police—they want us to capture an account dealer who's even bigger than Mephisto was, although in addition to being an account dealer, he also is a master blackmailer. His name is Tooru Kayaba."

When Ryuji said this, I felt shocked—Tooru Kayaba… that was the name K dropped in our last call! It seemed I was showing this too, because Ryuji suddenly looked perplexed and said: "What is it?" and I said: "…Nothing." Before I went on: "So you say this case came from the police? Why did they contact us?" "Yes, about that—the interesting thing about that is that we weren't their first choice—they originally referred it to the Kuremi Detective Agency in Nakano, but some guy from the agency named Simon recommended that they hand the case off to us." Ryuji said.

And then I remembered—I had told Simon that he could ask us for help if he needed it, too. It looks like he had taken me up on my offer! Ryuji then said: "Still, I'm a little surprised—we haven't ever dealt with the Kuremi Detective Agency before. I'm not sure why they handed it off to us…" and I felt a little nervous before Ryuji said: "Heh. Not that it's a problem, of course. That's all the more money and fame for us, if we succeed. Anyway, I wanted you to accompany me on our little trip to hunt down Tooru. Erika's already dug up the URL to where he is, so we'll just have to sneak right up to him and take him out. Are you ready to go now?" "Almost—let me just switch out my Digimon and heal them. Then I'll be ready." I said. "Sure, no problem. Let me know when you're ready to go." Ryuji said.

I then went back to one of the cubicles and logged into the Digilab. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and healed my Digimon before I started deciding who to take. Tooru Kayaba… if he was stronger than Mephisto, I'd better be all business. I decided to take Lekismon, Kyubimon, Gatomon, Lopmon, BlueGreymon and BlueCoredramon, leaving Seadramon and Ryudamon in the farm island. After I said goodbye to Seadramon and Ryudamon, I went back to Hudie and approached Ryuji. When he saw me, he said: "Ah, there you are Keisuke… are you ready to go this time?" "I sure am! Let's do this, Ryuji!" I said back. Ryuji grinned and said: "Good. That's the spirit. Now let's go take him down!"

Ryuji then gave me the URL to Tooru's location and he said: "Come along. It's about time we got started." And he went outside. I followed and said: "Where are we going, Ryuji?" "We're going to log in from the streets. That way we'll protect our base and employees when we log out with Tooru and be in a place where the police can easily find us and take him in." Ryuji replied. "Ah, good thinking! Alright, let's do it!" I said. We then walked out to into the streets and we came up on a terminal outside. When we reached it, we logged in, and when we arrived, I saw it: it was a giant golden cyberspace that had walls with bars of gold moving in and out of them. There were walkways that were colored gold here too… "Well this guy sure likes to flaunt his wealth…" Ryuji said. "Looks like it… now we just have to make our way up to him. Let's search." I said.

Ryuji nodded and we proceeded through. There were numerous terminals located here, but Ryuji and I were able to hack them and use them… their function was to add some floors and take away others. Naturally, there were Digimon here as well, so we had some battles to go through too. Eventually we made it a walkway further in and we found a brown-haired man in a magenta-colored suit with a tie and slacks on of the same color… luckily, he was using a terminal, so he was completely distracted for the moment. I then whispered to Ryuji: "Is that him?" "Yeah, that was his reported appearance. Let's go…" Ryuji whispered back.

We then snuck up on him and when we closed in, Ryuji said: "So there you are, Tooru Kayaba…" the man then turned around and said: "Eh?! Who are you?! And how did you get in here?!" "We're from Hudie. We came for you on behalf of the police." Ryuji replied. "The police?" Tooru began and then he went on: "Ahahaha! Aren't they funny, trying to make themselves feel big and strong by making an enemy out of me… and without having so much as the courage to do their own work!"

"You're one to talk, outsourcing all that hacking and account theft to all those hackers." I replied. "Don't get me mixed up with that rabble; they're just running around making self-righteous fools of themselves, but I'm working for profit. And there is no 'clean' or 'dirty' with cash! It's a material object that can be made into anything, good or evil! That's the advantage to being an entrepreneur and not a kid playing cops and robbers." Tooru said. Ryuji looked disgusted when he heard this and then he said: "…I'm going to look forward to fixing up your face when we're through with this." "Ha! Try me! Let's see how much money I can get when I sell _your_ accounts after I take them from you!" Tooru said.

And then he called out three Digimon… one was in the middle and was incredibly thin, with a small waist connecting its upper body to its hips (both of which were protected by gold, circular armor and the hip armor was extremely rounded). It had white legs that were covered by gold-and-red boots from the shins down and it had gold-and-red shoulder armor with very thin black arms connected to gold cannons with a red stripe at each one's end. It also had a gold helmet (with a gold horn on it) and giant white ears which were partially covered by gold-and-red armor. It also had Gatling gun-like parts on its back and looked 7'3 tall, although it was floating, so it must be shorter…

The other two on either side were Digimon of the same species… they were like giant, gold and silver colored alarm clocks with two arms and two legs. There was even a humanoid-looking creature coming out of the top of the clock! They had black clothing on their upper bodies and red gloves, as well as a red hood and cape. They had green eyes, a silver mallet in their right hands and a gold spring coming out of their backs, as well as peach-colored skin around their mouths. Each one looked 5 feet tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate. I checked it and it said: "left to right: Clockmon scan data: 15%, GoldRapidmon scan data: ERROR, Clockmon scan data: 30%." What did it mean, 'error'? I guess it must not be able to scan it… it also said GoldRapidmon was a vaccine Digimon while the Clockmon were data Digimon. This looked like a tough combination to hit their weaknesses, so I called out Lekismon, Kyubimon and BlueCoredramon while Ryuji called out his Cyberdramon. I then heard Ryuji say: "Cyberdramon, use desolation claw on GoldRapidmon!" and Cyberdramon said: "Desolation claw!" and put his hands close to each other, but they weren't touching. A ball of white energy then formed between them and he fired a beam from it that went flying forward and hit GoldRapidmon! GoldRapidmon rose quickly though and then Tooru said: "You, the Clockmon on the left! Use heaven's thunder 2 on BlueCoredramon! As for the one on the right, use chrono breaker on Kyubimon!" That was some way to talk to his poor Digimon… nonetheless, the Clockmon on the left said: "heaven's thunder 2!" and zapped BlueCoredramon with electricity! He took it pretty hard too! The other Clockmon said: "Chrono breaker!" and the hands on the clock both went up to the top before he sent a weird energy wave at Kyubimon and she recoiled.

I then said: "Kyubimon, boost Lekismon! Mental charge!" and then Kyubimon said: "Mental charge!" and she cast a spell on Lekismon that strengthened her magic attacks and lowered damage she took from magic attacks. I then went on: "Alright, Lekismon and BlueCoredramon! Attack GoldRapidmon! Power energy 2 and blue flare breath!" and Lekismon said: "Power energy 2!" before gray energy enveloped GoldRapidmon and then exploded seconds later. When GoldRapidmon got up, BlueCoredramon said: "Blue flare breath!" and he spat fire at GoldRapidmon that burned him and lowered his damage resistance to non-magic attacks.

"Jeez… you come out swinging pretty strong…" Tooru said and I said: "You expected anything less?" "Hmph… not bad for a rookie." Tooru said back before he continued: "GoldRapidmon! Use mental charge field!" and GoldRapidmon said: "Mental charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted the damage output with magic and damage resistance to magic of each of Tooru's Digimon at once! I then said: "Lekismon and BlueCoredramon, attack again as you did last turn! Kyubimon, use burst flame 2 on GoldRapidmon!" and Lekismon said: "Power energy 2!" and attacked with it before BlueCoredramon said: "Blue flare breath!" and burned GoldRapidmon again. Kyubimon then said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused a fiery explosion where GoldRapidmon was.

"Argh! At this rate…!" Tooru said before he said: "One of you Clockmon, heal GoldRapidmon! The other should use heaven's thunder 2 on BlueCoredramon! GoldRapidmon, use golden triangle on BlueCoredramon too!" one of the Clockmon then said: "Heal!" and cast a spell on GoldRapidmon that restored his health! The other said: "Heaven's thunder 2!" and zapped BlueCoredramon again. GoldRapidmon then said: "Golden triangle!" and conjured an upside-down triangle-shaped beam of light that crashed into BlueCoredramon. He was looking really beat after this… "Cyberdramon, desolation claw! Target the GoldRapidmon!" Ryuji said. Cyberdramon then created that beam in between his hands again before he sent it off at GoldRapidmon.

"So you're healing, huh? Two can play at that game. Lekismon, use heal on BlueCoredramon! BlueCoredramon, hit GoldRapidmon with blue flare breath! Kyubimon, use Burst flame 2 on GoldRapidmon!" I said. Lekismon then said: "Heal!" and restored BlueCoredramon's health before BlueCoredramon and Kyubimon attacked. Tooru then said: "Don't let him get away! Clockmon, each of you use heaven's thunder 2 on BlueCoredramon! GoldRapidmon, use guard charge field!" and the Clockmon each said: "Heaven's thunder 2!" and zapped BlueCoredramon… and this time he wouldn't get up. GoldRapidmon then said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted the damage resistance of all of Tooru's Digimon to non-magic attacks at once. BlueCoredramon then looked up and said: "That's too bad… I didn't get him…" "But you did such a great job! You really wore him down and left him ready to drop for the rest of the team. You did great, BlueCoredramon." I said. He smiled and I called him back and sent in Gatomon for the moment. Ryuji then had Cyberdramon attack GoldRapidmon with desolation claw again. GoldRapidmon looked badly beaten down after all of this…

I then said: "Lekismon, get GoldRapidmon with Ice archery 2! Kyubimon, use burst flame 2!" and Kyubimon burned GoldRapidmon again before Lekismon said: "Ice archery 2!" and she conjured a big icicle and sent it flying at GoldRapidmon… and it knocked him out! He was down! "Grr! I'll get you for that! Clockmon, both of you attack Gatomon! Use heaven's thunder 2!" Tooru said, and the Clockmon said: "Heaven's thunder 2!" and each of them zapped Gatomon with electricity! She was looking hurt after both hits too! "Cyberdramon, use attack charge field!" Ryuji said and Cyberdramon said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted all of our Digimon's damage output with non-magic attacks. I then said to Gatomon: "Hit one of the Clockmon! Use lightning paw!" and Gatomon said: "Lightning paw!" and leapt at one of the Clockmon and swiped at it with her claws. Normally this wouldn't do very much (because Clockmon was a data Digimon while Gatomon was a vaccine), but Gatomon's lightning paw was one of a few attacks that always did the same amount damage every time—and not even a disadvantage could change that.

The Clockmon then recoiled and Tooru said: "Get rid of that Gatomon! One of you, use heaven's thunder 2! The other should use idle bubble on Lekismon!" and one of the Clockmon said: "Heaven's thunder 2!" and zapped Gatomon… and she wouldn't get up either. The other Clockmon said: "Idle bubble!" and sent a bubble at Lekismon that hit her… and put her to sleep! Gatomon then said: "Sorry about that… go get 'em everyone…" And I comforted Gatomon before I said: "Kyubimon, use will-o-wisp!" and she said: "Will-o-wisp!" and sent flames from the ends of her tails at both of the Clockmon! I then called Gatomon back and sent in BlueGreymon, now that GoldRapidmon was gone. Ryuji then said: "Cyberdramon, use attack charge field!" and Cyberdramon said: "Attack charge field!" and he boosted everyone's damage output with non-magic attacks again.

Tooru then said: "Alright, you've got an open shot! Use chrono breaker on Kyubimon!" and the Clockmon said: "Chrono breaker!" and they attacked Kyubimon together with the weird energy waves and she went down! "Great job out there, Kyubimon." I said. "Th-thank you…" She said. I then called her back and sent in Lopmon. Then I said: "Lopmon, hit one of the Clockmon with blazing ice! And BlueGreymon, you follow up! Use bit fire!" and Lopmon said: "Blazing ice!" and hit one with a cold gust of air. BlueGreymon then said: "Bit fire!" and spat three fireballs at the Clockmon and burned him! "Uwah!" the Clockmon said as he fell down. Tooru then called him back and Ryuji said: "You're down to your last Digimon… now we've got you! Cyberdramon, hit him with venom trap!" and Cyberdramon said: "Venom trap!" and his claws suddenly were dripping with poison. He tried to hit Clockmon, but Clockmon leapt back and evaded it. "Lekismon! Can you hit Clockmon with an ice archery 2?" I asked. Lekismon didn't even respond though… she just kept sleeping…

Tooru then said: "Put BlueGreymon to sleep! Idle bubble!" and Clockmon said: "Idle bubble!" and sent a bubble flying at BlueGreymon… but luckily, he evaded it! I then breathed a sigh of relief as Tooru said: "Ugh! You're kidding!" and I grinned and said: "Tough luck, Tooru." I then went on: "Lopmon, use blazing ice again! BlueGreymon, hit him with bit fire! Lekismon, are you up yet?" Unfortunately, Lekismon was still sound asleep… Lopmon then said: "Blazing ice!" and hit Clockmon with that gust of cold air again. BlueGreymon then said: "Bit fire!" and burned Clockmon with the fireballs! Ryuji then said: "Cyberdramon! Hit Clockmon with desolation claw!" and Cyberdramon did so.

"Alright Clockmon, heal yourself!" Tooru said. Clockmon then said: "Heal!" and restored his health. Ryuji then said: "Keep their strength up, Cyberdramon! Use attack charge field!" and Cyberdramon cast that spell that powered up our Digimon again. I then saw Lekismon finally wake up and she rose to a standing position before I said: "Alright! Lekismon, give him an ice archery 2!" and she then hit Clockmon with an icicle. Lopmon then followed up and said: "Blazing ice!" and hit Clockmon with another gust of cold air. "BlueGreymon, knock his health back down to nothing! Use bit fire!" I said. BlueGreymon then said: "Bit fire!" and burned Clockmon with three fireballs… and he was down! We had won!

Tooru called Clockmon back and backed up a step before he said: "What…? No! How can this be?! I lost?!" and Ryuji then ran up to him and hit him before he said: "Now let's go… you're coming with us." And he approached Tooru before I said: "Wait!" and then Ryuji and Tooru turned to me before I said to Tooru: "Before this is over, there's one thing I'm going to ask… did you steal my account?!" "Of course not! I only target corporate or government accounts. You know, that are actually worth money! Your account wouldn't be worth squat, so I wouldn't target it in the first place." Tooru replied. "Hmm… let's find out. Watch him for me, would you, Keisuke?" Ryuji said. He then went over to the terminal Tooru was still logged into and Tooru said: "Hey!" before I moved in closer towards him and he then said: "Ugh…"

There was a pause before Ryuji said: "He's right. Your account isn't in the database." He then turned to Tooru and said: "Do you know any other account thieves? If you tell us, we may put in a good word for you." "Well I've heard rumors of one… I never worked with him, but he's supposedly a real hotshot in the field. His name was… Hosaka. Akira Hosaka." Tooru replied. Ryuji then said: "That's better. Now then…" and he turned to me and said: "It's time to bring him in." I then nodded and we grabbed Tooru and took him back to where we logged in, from the streets of Ikebukuro. When we arrived, Ryuji got a better grip on Tooru and said: "I've got him. Could you call the police and tell them we have Tooru, Keisuke?" and I nodded and called them. It wasn't too long before the police showed up and took Tooru in for arrest. Ryuji then turned to me and said: "Mission complete. Let's head back to Hudie." I nodded and we started walking back.

As we were on our way, I heard Ryuji say: "I have to say, I'm impressed at how powerful you've become in so short a time… you really did a great job standing up to Tooru, Keisuke." I smiled and said: "Thank you, Ryuji! You were a big help too." Ryuji grinned and said: "Thanks, but I didn't do as much as you. That's mostly because Cyberdramon didn't match up so well against those Digimon of course, but that being said, you really stole the show this time. You're already becoming very reliable. Great job." I smiled again and said: "Thank you, Ryuji."

Soon we made it back to Hudie, and Ryuji went further in while I went to the Digilab and healed my Digimon before making my next move. Even though Tooru had been a very daunting opponent, it was really cool getting to help the police take him in and defeat such a dangerous foe! I was feeling proud of my Digimon and eager to keep this up!


	16. Simon: The black shadow returns!

Simon Chapter 7—The black shadow returns!—

After I logged out, I went straight down to the first floor and entered Kyoko's office, but when I arrived, I was in for a shock—I saw Kyoko and… that police officer who had yelled at me when I ended up in Shinjuku! "Wha—!" I said and then Kyoko and the police officer turned around and then Kyoko said: "Oh hello, Simon. Good timing." She then stood by the police officer and said: "This is our client, Makiko Date. You may remember her already—" and then the police officer said: "HUH? What do you mean 'remember'? This guy's from the west! And for you to say he's your assistant… you pulling my leg here, Ms. Kuremi?" but then she looked me over and said: "Wait a minute—I remember that shape…" and then she looked shocked and said: "Oh my gosh! _YOU_ were that thing from the other day?! What happened?!"

I then explained it to her as best as I could and Makiko said: "I see. I'm sorry I threatened to arrest you then… but I didn't even know what you were." "No one there did." I responded. Kyoko then said: "Well as long as you two have reconciled, that will make things easier. Now then, as I was saying, Makiko wants our help investigating a strange phenomenon that has occurred in Shinjuku." "A strange phenomenon? Strange how?" I asked. "There's a mysterious purple light emitting from the subway downtown. It's definitely not normal—" Makiko began and I said: "Um… doesn't that just sound like a prank from some miscreant?" "Well we checked the equipment down there and nothing was wrong with any of it. So no, it's not like it was just tampered with." Makiko said. "Huh…" I said. "But it gets even weirder… after we checked the equipment, we were chased out by some weird creatures!" Makiko said. "Huh? Wait a minute—what was it that made them weird? Please Makiko—be as detailed as you can in your response." I said. "They were _NOT_ animals. I can say that with 100% certainty. Some were little slithering puddles of purple stuff with one eye, some looked like walking hands with two eyes… like genuine monsters!" Makiko said.

"Those… those sound like Digimon!" I said. "Huh? Wait—you know what they were?!" Makiko asked. "Digimon are special programs that connect with humans. They can be used for good or evil." I said. "So someone is using them to trip out the subway? Why?" Makiko asked. "I don't know if that's even the explanation—because Digimon can only exist in cyberspace." I said. "So you think that the subway has been turned into cyberspace… within the real world?!" Makiko asked. "I know it sounds crazy, but that has to be it. If Digimon are there, there's no other way they could have appeared in the real world." I said. "But… that's impossible! That would be sheer sorcery!" Makiko said.

"Well understand that what my assistant has said is only a hypothesis until we get more information, Makiko." Kyoko said. I nodded and said: "Exactly. Even though it is highly probable that those creatures were Digimon, that assumes that we know the conclusion first, and we don't. It's just a guess based on what information you've presented to me. All the same, I find this very interesting. I'm all in." "Alright. This won't be an easy case, so you'll have to work really hard. But given your agency's reputation, I'm confident you'll handle this. Please then, detective—Simon—go to Shinjuku and investigate the subway!" Makiko said. "You bet!" I said. "Well then, that's that. Go on to Shinjuku then, Simon." Kyoko said. "You got it!" I said.

I then left the office and headed to Shinjuku. The streets looked normal enough, so I headed to the downtown area. From there I had to find the subway, but it actually wasn't that hard—as I began to get through areas out in the open that were increasingly less crowded over time, that was a clear indicator that I was getting close.

Finally, I found it. It was as Makiko described: A stairway going underground that had a purple light emitting up into the area where I was. "Wow…" I said. But just then I heard a: "S-S-S…" and I turned my head to see who it was: Arata! When I saw him, he finally stopped stuttering and said: "SIMON!" "Oh hey, Arata." I said. He then came running up and said: "I can't believe you made it away from that black shadow monster! What a relief!" "Yeah. It was a relief…" I said. Then Arata turned to the purple light coming from the subway and said: "Heh. Just like everyone said. Still… this isn't your everyday prank…" "Wait, you're interested in this too, Arata?" I asked. "Why not? Don't you find it fascinating and fun to investigate things like this?" Arata asked. He then went on: "So what did you mean, 'too'? I thought you were interested in sightseeing, but… not this kind of stuff."

I then explained to him about how I had taken a temporary job as a detective's assistant and the case I was on. When I finished, Arata looked really impressed and said: "Whoa… so you're investigating cyber-crime? That sounds really, really cool…" "It's a fun business so far, that's for sure." I said. "Well as long as that's the case, why don't we investigate this place? It'll add to the fun, right?" Arata asked. "Arata, are you sure? There have been eyewitness reports that Digimon may be down there." I said. "Oh that's no problem! Let's just get going!" Arata said. I wasn't sure why he said that, but then I finally said: "Well… alright then." And we headed down into the subway.

When we got down the staircase, the purple light actually stopped shining and we saw something strange; parts of the walls were corroded away and had red light shining on them! Some potted plants had also turned black and withered… "Whoa… is this… for real?" Arata asked. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" I said. Finally, Arata said: "This looks like a digital wave blasted its way through here… that must be it." "A… digital wave?" I asked. Arata then turned to me and said: "You don't know what digital waves are, Simon?" "Does it sound like I do?" I asked. "Jeez… well, a digital wave is a transmitted stream of data to send it somewhere. The theory is that it makes space in the real world digital." Arata said.

"If what you say is true, then I should be able to summon my Digimon in here." I said. "That… would be one way of testing it. Give it a try." Arata said. I then took out my phone and tried to call out Armadillomon, Renamon and Agumon… and it worked! They appeared before me! "What the…?!" I said before Agumon said: "What is it?" I turned to Arata and he said: "Yup. Looks like a genuine digital wave." He then went on: "Well, as long as Digimon are on the table, then…" and he took out his phone and soon a Digimon appeared before him! It was a pale purple color and it was floating. Its body looked like that of a snake's (without the scales), but it had two arms with hands attached to the ends and it had a rounded head that looked like an oval on its side with two pitch black eyes and two antennae that faced backwards… it looked 2'4 tall.

"You… you have a Digimon too, Arata?" I asked. "Yup. After I saw you and Nokia with them, I decided to get my hands on a powerful Digimon." Arata said. His Digimon then chuckled and I heard Agumon say: "What kind of cyberspace is this? This doesn't look that normal…" I then tried to explain to them what had happened. By the end of it, Armadillomon looked impressed and said: "Wow, so we're on Earth right now? That's amazing. I never thought I'd get to see it." and then Agumon said: "But… that shouldn't be possible." "Well I guess the impossible just became possible! So let's go—I can't wait to see this!" Renamon said. "I like your attitude, Renamon! Now let's get going! This will be one heck of an adventure for all of us!" I said. I then turned to Arata and said: "Well I guess between all of us, we'll have this mystery solved in no time!" "Yeah. Let's go!" Arata said.

We then walked off further in. Soon, three Digimon jumped out at us. They were just like the ones Makiko described: two were slithering puddles of purple stuff with one eye and looked 5 inches tall, and the other looked like a walking hand with two eyes a ways over its fingers. It looked 7-and-a-half inches tall. My phone then vibrated and it said: "left to right: Kuramon scan data: 60%, Tsumemon scan data: 25%." Agumon then said: "Pepper Breath!" and spat a fireball at one of the Kuramon. I then said: "Armadillomon, go on and join in! Grand rock!" and he said: "Grand rock!" and conjured a boulder where the Kuramon was before it exploded seconds later. The Tsumemon retaliated by saying: "Nail scratch!" and he leapt at Agumon and raked him with his claws. We then heard Arata's Digimon then say: "Crazy Giggle!" and he started to laugh maniacally as he conjured a pulsating, purple ball and sent it flying at the Kuramon Agumon and Armadillomon had attacked, who was knocked out! The remaining Kuramon then leered at Renamon and hurt her and then Renamon said: "Gaia element!" and she made a green sphere engulf the Kuramon, which knocked it out! Our Digimon then all attacked the Tsumemon together and defeated him too!

Arata then said: "Nice job, Keramon!" to his Digimon and Keramon gave him a high five. I smiled and then Arata turned to me and said: "Looks like we've got this in the bag at this rate! Come on, let's go!" I nodded and we pressed on, fighting some more Digimon as we went, until we got further in where everything was messed up; the floor was colored lavender, the walls now all looked red and all nearby objects were colored black. "Whoa… this digital wave is really starting to get to everything…" Arata said. "Yeah… but then again, we can't conclusively say it's gotten worse when no one's been this far in before. For all we know, it could have looked like this when the changes were still taking effect." I said. "I suppose that's possible…" Arata said.

We then kept pressing on (passing by some rubble blocking a path and other blockages) until we saw a big ball of shining light up ahead! "What is that?" I asked. "I have no idea." Arata said. I then approached it and Arata said: "Don't get too close! It might be a trap!" "But it's the only way forward with all of these blocked paths…" I said. Arata sighed and followed in suit. When we got close, a Dorumon and a Gotsumon jumped out of the ball of light!

"Dang it, Simon! I told you it was a trap!" Arata said. "They're not unbeatable, Arata. Relax, we can handle this!" I said. Knowing that these were both data Digimon, I immediately sent out Growlmon, Renamon and Patamon, keeping Agumon away from the frontlines, while Arata called out his Keramon. The Dorumon then said: "Metal cannon!" And spat a metallic ball at Growlmon while the Gotsumon said: "Rock fist!" and punched Patamon hard. I then said: "Growlmon, incinerate the Dorumon! Patamon, use air shot on the Gotsumon!" And Growlmon blasted the Dorumon with his exhaust flame while Patamon said: "Air shot!" and spat a bubble of air at Gotsumon, which he took a little hard. Keramon then said: "Destruction Cannon!" And lobbed a blob of darkness at the Dorumon. Renamon then said: "Diamond storm!" and conjured several small, glowing shards that went flying into Dorumon and Gotsumon at the same time. Growlmon then said: "Exhaust flame!" and breathed another powerful blast of fire that knocked Dorumon out! The Gotsumon then said: "Rock fist!" And smacked Keramon with another punch. After my Digimon and Arata's Keramon ganged up on him, he was down!

After that, there was a brilliant flash of light for a second and then Arata said: "What was that…?" and I said: "No idea…" I then went on: "Even so, that was easy enough. But we're still at a dead end…" "Yeah. We've got no choice. We're going to have to turn back. But before we do…" Arata began and he turned around. "Arata?" I asked. Arata then yelled: "Come out here! I know you're there!"

And then from behind a wall, an old man walked out! He was of average height and wore a black trench coat, gray slacks and white shoes and had a purple scarf. He had short gray hair as well. His posture was terrible and he hunched forward a little… "What the…?!" I asked while the old man said: "Hm-hmm. It looks like you caught on." "Of course! I know when unwanted visitors are around." Arata said. He then went on: "What were you doing and why were you following us?" The old man then said: "I am a Kamishiro Enterprises researcher, here on business to investigate this odd digital wave. Akemi Suedou is my name. I go by Suedou though."

"Kamishiro? You mean the company that runs EDEN?" I asked. "Correct! Naturally, Kamishiro takes quite an interest in unusual phenomena such as this as well." Suedou said. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, did you bring any flunkies with you, Suedou?" Arata asked. "Alas, no. Only I, with my powerful mind, can make sense of such amazing phenomena. Although I do wish they'd hire an assistant." Suedou said. "Well why would you be interested in the digital wave? I thought Kamishiro would be concerned in its own affairs." I said. "Oh-ho! Well, Kamishiro certainly isn't trying to meddle in anyone's affairs. But rather, they sent me to verify a theory they have." Suedou said. "A theory? What kind of theory?" Arata asked.

"Hmm… well, I suppose I could tell you, if you would help me test it and you promise to keep it confidential." Suedou said. "Alright, I'm in." Arata said. "Sure, whatever." I said. "Alright then. I'm here to investigate the appearance of 'Eaters'. In EDEN, you may have heard of a monster known as the 'black shadow of EDEN'. That monster—that is an Eater. So how familiar are you with them?" Suedou asked. My eyes widened while Arata said: "You mean… that black and white monster with the nautilus shell?!" "Precisely! So you have encountered an Eater before? You don't know how lucky you are to have made it out unscathed!" Suedou said.

Arata then said: "Dang... I asked the administrators, but… they insisted that they didn't know a thing. I can't believe they were lying to me…" "It is rather harsh, but they have their reasons. So, I don't suppose you're curious as to how they got their names?" Suedou asked. "Well now that you mention it… I guess so." I said. "Eaters got their name because of how they eat data. They can eat almost any type of data, which makes them a threat to any online enterprise." Suedou said. "I see. Now I see why Kamishiro's so worried… not just for data security, but user security as well…" Arata said. "Exactly." Suedou said. "So… what happens to data that Eaters eat?" I asked. "The common theory is that it is corrupted, damaged and eventually destroyed. I do not agree with that theory however, but… that's all I shall say about it. More so, the main reason I came here was to test a theory we have about the origin of this digital wave." Suedou said.

"And that's what we're going to help with, right?" I asked. "Very good! Yes, it is a simple theory that won't require much effort on your part. Naturally, I saw you had Digimon programs when I was following you—and good ones at that—so stating the outcome first, what I want you to do is to hunt down the Eater here and destroy it." Suedou said. "Whoa—there's an Eater here?!" Arata said. "Yes. I believe they appear wherever a digital wave occurs. In other words, if a digital wave occurs, an Eater will be there too. So go on and take it down! It should dispel the digital wave as well." Suedou said. "What? So if we take down the Eater, this place will return to normal?" Arata asked. "Precisely. The effects of the digital wave should cease to apply here and all will be normal again." Suedou said. I hesitated for a moment and then said: "Alright, leave it to us!" "Splendid! Then go on and hunt it down. I have more to research, so I will be around this area, awaiting your results!" Suedou said. "Hmm… well, whatever. Let's go, Simon." Arata said. "Alright. Let's move, Arata!" I said.

We then went back a ways and soon we stumbled across something surprising: Some rubble that had blocked a path was now gone! "Hey… where did the rubble go?" Arata asked. "Yeah, it was there on our way here." I said. "So what would have changed its presence?" Arata asked. "Well… the light. That's one thing that changed before this did." I said. "What? You think…" Arata began and I grinned and said: "Don't you think? It's the only variable in all of this. I guess it was a good thing we went to that ball of light after all! The Digimon must have been guarding it." Arata grinned and then said: "Heh. It pays to try, I suppose. Now let's see what's through here." I nodded and we went on in.

We came into a deeper floor that looked very much the same… soon though, I saw something… it looked like a ghost. A ghost? Then it hit me! I ran up to him and I said: "Yuugo!" Yuugo then turned around and he looked very surprised as he said: "Simon?! What are you doing here?" "I'm here on business to investigate this phenomenon. I'm just as surprised to see you out of Kowloon!" I said. "Yes. It is a long story as to why, but—" he began and then Arata came walking up and Yuugo said: "Huh? Who's that?" I turned to Arata (who looked genuinely confused) before I turned back to Yuugo and said: "Oh, this is a friend of mine, Arata. He's a free-spirited type and a good companion." I then heard Arata say: "You're darn right I'm a free-spirited type. So what is this, Simon?" "Yuugo is his name. I met him in Kowloon." I said. "Yuu…go…?" Arata said. Yuugo then said: "Even though you are both here investigating, I caution you to quit while you're ahead. A horrible beast approaches." "Yeah. We heard. But don't worry! We're here to hunt it!" I said. "Even so, that will be a costly decision if you're not prepared. Remember: discretion is the better side of valor sometimes." Yuugo said.

But then something odd happened: Yuugo vanished in an instant! "Yuugo?" I said. The next thing I knew the Eater was right there in front of us! "So… that horrible thing's back for more eh?" Arata said. "We can't even prove this is the same one that was… after me. But even so, we'd better take this just as seriously!" I said. "Right!" Arata said. He then called out Keramon while I called out Armadillomon, Agumon and Growlmon. Growlmon then said: "Exhaust flame!" and spat the black, smoky fire at the Eater. Armadillomon then said: "Diamond shell!" and rolled up to the Eater and smacked into him before rolling back. "Agumon, give Growlmon a boost!" I said. Agumon then said: "Attack charge!" And cast a spell on Growlmon that increased his damage output with non-magic attacks. Keramon used his crazy giggle attack on the Eater and then the Eater swung one of its tentacles at Keramon, who recovered from it easily enough.

I then said: "Growlmon, give 'em an exhaust flame! Agumon, use heavy strike! Armadillomon, hit him with diamond shell again!" And Growlmon attacked with exhaust flame again and Agumon and Armadillomon joined in when Armadillomon rolled into the Eater again and Agumon then ran in and hit the Eater with his claws. Keramon then did his crazy giggle again and then those waves of data emerged around the Eater, although we didn't see any immediate effect…

I then said: "Agumon, boost your strength!" and he cast attack charge on himself. Growlmon and Armadillomon attacked while Keramon did another crazy giggle. We then saw the Eater's eye that was facing us turn purple and it thrust out its tentacles at Agumon and wrapped them around him before retracting them. Agumon got up (although it looked like that was a big hit) before the Eater's eye turned yellow again and it looked a little revitalized…

I then said: "Alright Agumon, give Growlmon a boost!" and Agumon gave Growlmon the same powering up effect. Growlmon and Armadillomon then attacked together and then Arata said: "Keramon, cut that thing's defense down to size!" And Keramon said: "Guard break!" and cast a spell that made the Eater more vulnerable to non-magic forms of damage!

The Eater then leapt up and its tentacles suddenly crackled with electricity before it slammed them on Growlmon, who had a hard time getting up. "Growlmon? How is that possible? He hadn't even taken any damage—" I began and then Arata said: "Wait—was that a ripping net attack?! Be careful Simon—that means your Growlmon is suffering from a bad status called 'paralyze' that may keep him from acting!" "Ugh… that's no good." I said.

And on the next turn, Growlmon couldn't manage to breathe his exhaust flame, but at least Armadillomon and Agumon attacked him. Keramon then did another crazy giggle and the Eater then thrust its tentacles at Agumon again who had a hard time taking the hit.

Agumon was looking weaker, so I switched out Growlmon for Renamon. I then said to Renamon: "Renamon, help Agumon! Anti-panic! Agumon, get ready to block!" The Eater then hit Agumon again in the same way, but Agumon had less trouble recovering. I then said: "Armadillomon, hit the Eater! Use grand rock!" and Armadillomon conjured a boulder where the Eater was before it exploded seconds later as Keramon pitched in a crazy giggle. The waves of data then emerged around the Eater once more and I then had Renamon heal Agumon, while I had Agumon hit the Eater with a heavy strike and Armadillomon use diamond shell. Keramon said: "Guard break!" and extended the duration of the damage resistance cut and weakened the Eater's damage resistance to non-magic forms of damage even further.

The Eater was starting to look tired, but then thrust its tentacles at Agumon and he fell down and wouldn't get up! "Huh? What happened?! He took that hit really hard…" I began and then Arata said: "I think I've figured out what those waves of data do! They must strengthen its attacks, like your Growlmon and Agumon have been doing!" "A strength boost eh…? So that would explain it…" I said. I then called Agumon back and sent Growlmon in. Armadillomon, Renamon and Keramon then attacked the Eater (and it was starting to look like it was on its last legs), and I said: "Growlmon! Can you use exhaust flame?" and Growlmon tried, but shook his head and fell down. The Eater then it thrust its tentacles around Armadillomon and he slowly got up. Growlmon looked like he was back to normal now and we launched another group attack again… and that was all the Eater could take! It threw up its tentacles and collapsed.

My Digimon were all thrilled and celebrated one-by-one. Armadillomon soon said: "Well… that was a bit of a beatdown. But I'm just glad we're okay. That makes it all worth it." "What's the matter, Armadillomon? Are you already rattled so soon?" Growlmon asked. Renamon then nodded and said: "Growlmon's right—it may have done a little damage, but it was no match for us. We did it, just like we always do!" Arata then smiled and said: "Yes… we finally took down one of those things!" and he raised up his arm before bringing it back down triumphantly. I smiled, but then we saw something odd happen: all of the irregularly colored lights began to fade and the corroded parts of the wall began to be restored, as did the surrounding scenery! "So it looks like Suedou's theory was right… defeating that Eater has caused the area to return to normal…" Arata said. "But… that means…" I said as I turned to my Digimon, and saw them looking weakened. Growlmon grinned and said: "I guess that means we're going to have to go back to your phone. Still, it was pretty neat getting to see Earth! Call us back, Simon!" I nodded and did so. Arata also called back his Keramon and I said: "Let's go."

We then walked back and as we passed through, eventually Arata started to look around… "Arata? What is it?" I asked. "Hmm… that's odd... I thought that guy Suedou said he would be here..." Arata said. "Er—oh yeah! Huh, that is weird… I thought he said he would be 'around this area'…" I said. "Well, I guess he was using the term loosely and moved somewhere nearby. Hmm… oh well! Let's just get out of here." Arata said. Eventually we left the subway, walking up into the daylight. I stretched before I turned to Arata and said: "Thanks for your help, Arata." "Pshhh, thanks, but I wasn't so cool. You and your Digimon were a big help as well." He said back. Then he went on: "Still, there's never a dull moment with you. You read about stories like these, but… to encounter them in real life is something else!" and then he started laughing before he said: "Well anyway, see you around, Simon. Let's explore again, yeah?" I smiled and said: "Sure. See you later, Arata!"

And then we went our separate ways. I went straight back to Nakano and stepped right into Kyoko's office. When she saw me, she said: "Welcome back, Simon. How did your investigation go?" "It's concluded. I found the cause of the problem…" I said. "…And? What was it?" Kyoko asked. "It was a digital wave… it occurred in the subway and summoned in Digimon!" I said. Kyoko looked a little surprised before she said: "That's very impressive that you know about digital waves… So what are you proposing should be done now to correct this?" "It actually has already been fixed… I found one of those black shadow monsters from EDEN there and once I defeated it, the digital wave went away." I said. Kyoko's eyes looked very focused before she said: "Hmm… that's verrry interesting." Then she went on: "Well for now, we'd better arrange a meeting with Makiko to give her your report. Well done, Simon!"

After I contacted Makiko, we set up a meeting time the next day. When it came, Makiko came into the office and Kyoko said: "Ah, Makiko. Go ahead and have a seat." And Makiko sat on one of the couches while I positioned myself on the other and I said: "I've managed to correct the problem—" and then Makiko said: "So I've heard. The other officers have commented that the subway's back to normal again. So how did you do it?" I then explained it to her exactly as I had to Kyoko. By the end, Makiko looked very surprised and said: "Huh?! So those monsters from EDEN… are real?!" "They were real enough to appear in there." I said. "Jeez… that's really shocking. So the rumors were true… even so, that may well open up new things to investigate." Makiko said. Then she went on: "Well anyway, you did a good job and now that the subway's been restored, that will really assist in everyone's ability to go about their daily lives in Shinjuku. Thank you, Simon." Makiko then gave Kyoko our reward and said goodbye before leaving the office.


	17. Keisuke: Unconventional Wisdom

Keisuke Chapter 10—Unconventional wisdom—

The next day, I went into Hudie and checked to see if there were any new cases… but didn't see any. I then leaned back in my chair before I heard a: "Keisuke? Do you have a moment?" I turned around to see it was Erika. "I sure do, especially since there aren't any cases now. What's up?" I asked. "I wanted your help investigating something—Wormmon did some research and she found some digital waves in Shinjuku. It sounds like an interesting phenomenon and I wanted to observe it up close. Would you mind coming with me?" Erika asked. "Not at all! Let's go, Erika." I said.

We then left the office and stepped out into the streets. When we stepped out, the sun was shining brightly. It was a lovely day today… I walked forward but then turned around and saw Erika wasn't following. She was shielding her eyes from the sunlight and looked uncomfortable. "Erika?" I said. She then shook her head and said: "It's so bright… I haven't been outside in a while…"

I was confused when I heard this and I said: "Well what are you talking about? Don't you have to go to school, Erika?" Erika then looked unimpressed and said: "Pfft, I graduated high school years ago. I'm working now, since I'd rather do that than attend a university anyway." I was shocked when I heard this and said: "HUH? Then are you some kind of prodigy?" Erika then looked lost in thought and she said: "A prodigy, huh…? I don't know if that's quite the right word, but I suppose it's close enough…" "Erika?" I said. "Never mind. We were going to Shinjuku, remember? Let's stay focused." She said.

We then proceeded to Shinjuku. When we arrived in its bustling streets, I looked around and said: "Well here we are… so where are these digital waves taking place?" "According to Wormmon, they should be in the subway downtown. Let's head there." Erika said. I nodded and we headed downtown. We then headed further into the city and eventually got to a place where there were fewer people around… and saw the subway Wormmon was talking about: It was a stairway that led underground, but purple light was coming up from it!

"HUH?! What's going on there?!" I asked. "Don't be so shocked. It probably has something to do with the digital wave, remember? Besides, it's just weirdly-colored light. It's not going to hurt you. Let's check it out!" Erika said. We then moved forward… but soon someone else approached the subway too…

He was of average height and wore a black trench coat, gray slacks and white shoes and had a purple scarf. He had short gray hair as well. His posture was terrible and he hunched forward a little… Erika and I then stopped and when the man saw us, he said: "What are you two so nervous about? Do I really look frightening enough to stop you?" "Not really. We just didn't expect to see anyone else going towards the subway." I said back. "Well what's so odd about that? Someone has to do something about it. Especially since I got permission from the police and everything." The man said.

The man then went on: "Oh my, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Akemi Suedou, and I'm a researcher at Kamishiro Enterprises. I go by Suedou though." "K-Kamishiro Enterprises? They have an interest in the digital waves here?!" Erika said. "Well, they do in this instance anyway… But what about you? Did you come here on purpose? Or are you lost?" Suedou said. "We came here of our own accord. We wanted to see the digital waves." Erika said. "Hmm? And you have some interest in them as well?" Suedou said. "You could say that." Erika said.

"Well, what a fortuitous coincidence! Why don't you come along then? A different perspective is a valuable thing in research! The insights brought to light by another mind can help bring to light great insights that could otherwise be lost!" Suedou said. "We accept. It would help to have another person around anyway." I said. "Splendid! Now then, as you can see, the subway is giving off a purple light from high levels of digital wave activity. So what do you make of this?" Suedou said.

"What do you mean? There are a lot of possible answers to that question depending on what you're asking." Erika said. "Give me anything you've got! Causes, what it's doing, observations… I don't care! Just tell me what's on your mind." Suedou said. "Well, a digital wave is what happens when a transmitted stream of data is sent somewhere else. So because the levels are especially high, it could be having some effect on real space…" Erika said.

Suedou then chuckled lightly before he said: "That's a better answer than I usually get from someone your age. But what could that effect be, then?" "Well it's turned the lights purple obviously, so its effects are transformative… that being said, I suppose anything is possible." Erika said. "Fascinating… yes, I believe the same thing actually. That being said, why don't we take a look at what's going on down there for ourselves?" Suedou said. And then he went down the stairs to the subway! "Hey! Hold on!" Erika said as she ran after him. "Erika, WAIT!" I said as I ran after her.

When we all arrived in the subway, everything was crazy… parts of the walls were corroded away and had red light shining on them! Some potted plants had also turned black and withered… "Good heavens, what is this?! The digital wave did all this?" I said. "Yes… even I didn't expect it could do this much…" Erika said. "Indeed… it appears the power of a digital wave is something that is not to be underestimated!" Suedou said.

But then something equally surprising happened: I saw Wormmon appear next to Erika! When this happened, Erika looked shocked and said: "W-Wormmon?!" Wormmon then looked up and said: "Oh hey, Erika. I didn't expect to see you so soon!" She then looked around and said: "So where are we? Kowloon? I don't remember it looking like this…" "No! We're on Earth right now!" Erika said. "HUH? But… that shouldn't be possible!" Wormmon said.

"Is this a side effect of digital waves as well?" I asked Suedou. "Precisely! Digital waves can make real space digital, making Digimon able to come out where they normally never should be able to!" Suedou said. "So I should be able to summon mine too…" I said. "So you have Digimon too? Well go on and give it a try then!" Suedou said. I then called out BlueCoredramon, Lopmon and BlueGreymon… and it worked! They all appeared! Even though I had already seen Wormmon appear, I still couldn't help but feel surprised… When my Digimon saw me, BlueGreymon said: "Keisuke? What is it?" And BlueCoredramon said: "Is it because of where we are? This doesn't look like anywhere we've ever been…" and then Lopmon said: "Yes, that's true. Where are we, master?"

I then explained it to them as we had with Wormmon. By the end of my explanation, my Digimon looked surprised and Lopmon said: "Wow! So we're in master's world now! I can't believe it! I'm excited to see what kind of place it is!" "Even so, this part of it is a little weird—" BlueGreymon began and then Wormmon said: "Darn right! Your world looks weird… it's nothing like the Digital World." Erika then frowned and said: "This isn't what it's normally like. It's only because of the digital wave that everything is all messed up like this. Normally the potted plants would be green with flowers that would be red—or some color like that—and they would stand up straight and look nice, not all black and withered. The walls would also be consistent with white tile too."

Wormmon then looked straight ahead and said: "So is that gross thing something that normally appears in your world too?" We all then turned around and saw… that same monster I had seen in Kowloon with the nautilus shell! "Th-that thing again?!" I said. "Wait… you know what that is, Keisuke?" Erika asked. "…It was the monster that ate Youji's account in Kowloon. It looks dangerous, as it is willing to prey on humans." I said. "So you have seen an Eater before? You don't know how lucky you are to be alive!" Suedou said.

"Wait—you know what those are, Suedou?" I asked. "Yes. To answer the lady centipede's question, these creatures are not native to Earth—they are found in Kowloon. They are called 'Eaters' and can eat any kind of data—" Suedou began and then Erika said: "And since humans are made of data in cyberspace, that means it's a threat to us as well…" "Exactly! Very astute!" Suedou said.

"But if Eaters exist in Kowloon, how is it that one is here?" I asked. "They also appear wherever there is a digital wave. If we defeat it, the digital wave should go away." Suedou said. By now, the Eater was establishing close range with us and Suedou said: "My, my, how troublesome…" before he went on: "Do you think you could have your Digimon fight it for me? It would aid in my research quite a lot. Besides, after what I have just said, surely you don't want to witness its abilities firsthand?"

The Eater kept approaching us and I said: "I'd say that's a good point! Let's go everyone!" and then BlueCoredramon, Lopmon and BlueGreymon all stepped forward and Erika said: "You ready, Wormmon?" and Wormmon looked surprised before she said: "Huh? You want me to fight that thing?!" "Keisuke's Digimon will be here to help you and I can heal you with programs. This is the perfect time for you to try your hand at combat, especially given what's at stake!" Erika said. Wormmon then shuddered and she said: "Eep! So scary! But… I'll do my best!" and she stepped forward too.

I then said: "BlueCoredramon, use blue flare breath! BlueGreymon, give Lopmon a boost! Guard charge!" and then BlueCoredramon said: "Blue flare breath!" and burned the Eater with a stream of blue fire that scorched it and reduced its damage resistance to non-magic attacks. BlueGreymon then said: "Guard charge!" and cast a spell on Lopmon that boosted her damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Erika then said: "Wormmon, use sticky net!" and Wormmon said: "Sticky net!" and spat up a net made of silk threads that ensnared the Eater and hurt it. Lopmon then said: "Grand rock!" and conjured a boulder where the Eater was and it exploded a second later. We then saw waves of data emerge around the Eater, although we didn't see any immediate effect…

I then said: "BlueCoredramon, use blue flare breath again! Lopmon, use blazing ice!" and BlueCoredramon repeated the last attack while Lopmon said: "Blazing ice!" and she exhaled a gust of cold air that hurt the Eater. BlueGreymon then said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and made a fiery explosion occur where the Eater was. Erika then said: "Wormmon, crescent leaf!" and Wormmon said: "Crescent leaf!" before a bunch of sharp-edged leaves blew around the Eater and cut it. The Eater's eyes then turned purple and it thrust its tentacles at BlueCoredramon. It wrapped them around him and retracted them before BlueCoredramon recovered. It also looked like it felt a little better after doing so.

I then had BlueCoredramon repeat the same action, while I said: "Lopmon, use mental break on the Eater!" and Lopmon said: "Mental break!" and she cast a spell on it that lowered its damage output with magic attacks, as well as its damage resistance to magic attacks. Erika had Wormmon use sticky net again and BlueGreymon then said: "Bit fire!" and spat up three fireballs at the Eater that burned it. The Eater's eyes turned purple again and it thrust its tentacles at BlueCoredramon. BlueCoredramon was looking beat, so I called him back and called in Kyubimon. I then said: "BlueGreymon, refresh Lopmon's boost! Guard charge!" and BlueGreymon said: "Guard charge!" and cast the same spell on Lopmon again to make Lopmon's boost last longer and improve its effectiveness even further!

Lopmon then said: "Blazing ice!" and attacked the Eater with a gust of cold air again. The Eater then had waves of data emerge around itself again. Erika had Wormmon use another sticky net before the Eater's eyes turned purple and it wrapped its tentacles around Wormmon and let go. Wormmon got up, but looked hurt from the attack… "Kyubimon, give yourself a boost!" I said and Kyubimon said: "Mental charge!" and cast a spell on herself that boosted her damage output with and damage resistance to magic attacks. Lopmon then attacked with another blazing ice before Erika said: "I'm sorry Wormmon. Here, let me make it up to you…" and she started typing on her whale-like keyboard… BlueGreymon then said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and hit the Eater with another fiery explosion. Erika then said: "Okay, it's ready!" and a green light appeared around all of our Digimon, and they all looked better. That must have been one of her healing programs she referenced…

The Eater then went into high gear and charged at all of our Digimon, knocking them down with a shockwave. Kyubimon then said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused the Eater to be enveloped in an exploding, fiery sphere. BlueGreymon attacked with bit fire and Lopmon used blazing ice before Erika said: "Give it a sticky net, Wormmon!" and Wormmon said: "Sticky net!" and between all of their attacks, the Eater threw up its tentacles and collapsed!

Kyubimon, Lopmon and BlueGreymon all celebrated while Wormmon said: "We did it…? We really won?" and Erika smiled and said: "You did. Everyone did great." "I'll say! Good job, everyone!" I said. Our Digimon were all thrilled, but Suedou was still standing back, looking very impressed. Finally, he said: "Hmm… how incredible… despite being assaulted directly by an Eater, nothing is wrong with any of your Digimon… suggesting that Digimon are resistant to data erosion from Eaters. And not just resistant… tremendously resistant, almost on the verge of being immune. What a tremendous revelation!"

I then looked around and saw that everything was still the same though… finally, I said: "But Suedou… didn't you say the digital wave would disappear after we defeated the Eater?" "Oh yeah, that's right…" Erika said. "Yes, that is what should have happened… and yet it did not. Maybe that Eater was not the only one here? I should go in and investigate." He replied. He then turned to us and said: "You have my sincere thanks for your cooperation." He then turned around and proceeded further in.

"Well, that guy sure gets around, doesn't he?" I asked. "He sure does, heedless of any danger…" Erika said. "Maybe we should too. It would be interesting to see more of Earth after all." BlueGreymon said. "Yes, that's right! Let's go, master! I want to see more of your world!" Lopmon said. I smiled and said: "Alright then. We'll get going now!" Erika then smiled and said: "Yes… it'll be a little adventure with our Digimon!" and we all smiled and headed further in.

As we got deeper in, the scenery started to get even more messed up… the floor was colored lavender, the walls now all looked red and all nearby objects were colored black. "Yuck! It's even worse in here…" Wormmon said. "This digital wave sure is messing with your world, alright. It's amazing… and unnatural." Kyubimon said. We then kept going forward until I heard Wormmon say: "Erika?! What is it?!" and I turned around… and saw her collapse!

I saw Erika trying to use her phone (and she called Wormmon back in a minute) as I ran up to her and said: "Erika?! What happened?!" and I picked her up as she said: "Central… Hospital… take me to Central… Hospital… Keisuke… help meeeee…" I then turned to my Digimon and said: "Change of plan, guys! I'm going to have to call you back!" and I did quickly before I carried Erika out and back into the streets. When we arrived, I called an ambulance and waited with Erika before one arrived and took Erika. I then went to the hospital with them…

When I arrived in the lobby, they rushed Erika up to a higher floor and I waited. I decided to use the time to call Ryuji and tell him the bad news… I took out my phone and called Ryuji. In a moment, he answered and said: "Hey Keisuke. What's going on?" "…There's something I need to tell you, Ryuji." I said back. "…Why? What's going on?" He asked, sounding worried. "Erika and I were out in the subway in Shinjuku studying the digital waves, when she collapsed. She's in Central Hospital now, being treated." I said.

"Oh no! Alright, I'm on my way!" Ryuji said. He then hung up. I didn't blame him at all… he had every right to be worried sick. I waited for a while before he arrived and ran up to the reception desk. He talked to the receptionist for a while before he finally went up into an elevator. I then looked down. It felt like something was wrong with my throat, this was all such a shock… I decided to go to the vending machines in a corner and get a drink. I went over and looked at what they had and decided to buy a mixed juice drink that was predominately mango-based. When the can fell down, I turned and started drinking it before I heard someone say: "Oh, now that's an interesting choice…" I turned to see a girl approaching me… she was wearing a pink-and-black long-sleeved shirt that was connected to a skirt that matched in color with very long black leggings. She also had brown shoes and she had long black hair.

I wasn't really sure what this girl wanted… She then came up and eyed the can before she said: "Mixed juice… just as I thought. A drink that is simple, yet delicious and cheap, yet widely popular. I really like that flavor too." And then she smiled. "And you are…?" I asked and then the girl said: "Oops, I should have started there. My name is Yuuko. Yuuko Kamishiro." I was surprised when I heard this and said: "Yuuko Kamishiro… I know you! My boss talks about you all the time! You're from Zaxon aren't you?" Yuuko suddenly looked more formal as she said: "Yes, that's right… but who is your boss?"

"Ryuji Mishima, head of Hudie." I said back. Yuuko then looked relaxed again as she said: "Oh, so you're in Hudie. I didn't know you were one of my subcontractors. It's nice to meet you in person then." She then went on: "And to see someone with good tastes as well… you're a breath of fresh air, actually. I like it when I meet someone with similar interests or tastes."

I smiled a little before I took another drink of the juice and said: "Thanks Yuuko… it's a relief seeing someone so friendly, especially now…" "What do you mean?" Yuuko asked. "One of my friends was brought here. I was completely unnerved, but you helped cheer me up." I said back. "I see… I'm sorry to hear one of your friends had to come to the hospital then." Yuuko said.

We then talked a little more before Ryuji said: "Keisuke." And I turned around to see him before me. He then went on: "Come on. I'll explain everything to you on the way." "Alright then. Understood." I said back. I then turned to Yuuko and said: "It was nice meeting you, Yuuko." "You too, Keisuke. See you next time." She said back.

I then left the hospital with Ryuji and said: "So what's going on with Erika?" "We're going back to Hudie without her for now. The doctor said she's going to be staying in the hospital for two to three days." Ryuji said. " _THAT_ long? I hope it's nothing serious…" I said. "Me too…" Ryuji said. I then went on: "Hey Ryuji?" "Hmm?" he said back. "What was it that made Erika collapse in Shinjuku?" I asked. "…I'm not going to tell you that. It wouldn't be right. I'll let Erika be the one to decide whether or not you learn that when she's recovered." Ryuji said. "HUH? Man, now I'm really curious…" I said. "Well you're going to have to suspend your curiosity for now. Now let's keep going—we'll have to do a good job while Erika's away." Ryuji said. I nodded and we went back to Hudie.


	18. Simon: Into the Avalon Server!

Simon Chapter 8—Into the Avalon server!—

After Makiko left, I turned to Kyoko and said: "So has anything new come up?" "As a matter of fact, something has! We have a new client coming in six hours, so you have some free time for now. But don't be late, okay Simon?" Kyoko asked. "Of course! See you then!" I said.

I then left the office and went upstairs to the fourth floor. I prepared to go to Kowloon to train my Digimon, but then I stopped to think—even though things were going well recently, I couldn't help but want to digiconvert some new Digimon friends. I decided to go to the Digilab instead.

I went in and said hi to Mirei and digiconverted some new allies—one was Kuramon, like the kind that were in the subway in Shinjuku, and the other was another Pabumon. Of course, being baby Digimon, they wouldn't be very strong unless I trained them! I prepared to add them to my phone, but I got a weird message that said: "ERROR—memory is full".

"What the…?" I said. I then heard Mirei say: "What is it?" I turned to her and said: "I got an odd message from my phone that said the memory is full when I tried to add some new Digimon to it—" and then Mirei said: "So your phone can't support any more Digimon, eh? Well that's normal. Digimon take up more memory than most normal programs." "So how can I get them in, then?" I asked. "Well luckily for you, I recently completed a program that increases the memory on a phone. You can use it to update your phone and increase its memory so you can take more Digimon with you at a time." Mirei said. "Really? That's great! How do I get it in there?" I asked. "Just give me your E-mail address. I'll attach it as an attachment and then you can open it and follow the prompts." Mirei said.

I felt my eyebrow curl upward a bit. 'Open an attachment and follow the prompts'? That normally would be a little risky… but I didn't think Mirei would try to do anything malicious. I gave Mirei my E-mail address and once she sent it, I opened it (and the attachment) and it asked if I wanted to install the update, to which I said yes, and then it started to do so until said: "UPDATE COMPLETE". I then tried using it and saw that my phone's memory _had_ increased—there was much more free space now!

"Awesome! Thanks, Mirei!" I said. She grinned and said: "No problem. Depending on your Digimon's level of digivolution, it might be possible to take more with you, but for now I'd say the general rule of thumb is that your phone can hold 7 Digimon at any given time. So make good use of them and don't forget to cultivate meaningful relationships with them." "Of course! Thanks again." I said.

I then went over to the terminal and added Kuramon and Pabumon to my phone and went out to Kowloon and trained the two of them for a while—with Growlmon, Gotsumon and Salamon helping them through battles—before I came back to the Digilab and checked to see if they could digivolve.

Luckily, I saw that they could! I called out all my Digimon and then looked over what Kuramon could digivolve into and decided to digivolve Kuramon into a Pagumon and initiated the process. Kuramon became a colorless wireframe and was reshaped into a Pagumon—a little Digimon that had a purple head, a mouth and red eyes with two floppy ears. It looked 6-and-a-half inches tall. I smiled and said: "Alright! Good job digivolving already, Pagumon!" Pagumon nodded and said: "Thank you. I'm ready to keep working hard and advancing further, too!" I smiled and said: "I like your attitude, Pagumon. I know you'll do great." She smiled at me before she went off with the others.

I then digivolved Pabumon, only instead of digivolving it into a Tanemon—as I had with Renamon—I chose to digivolve it into a Motimon. Pabumon became a colorless wireframe and was reshaped into a Motimon—a small, ghost shaped Digimon that had a pink body, two eyes, a mouth and two arms (but no legs) and looked about 8 inches tall. When I saw this, I grinned and said: "Great work, Motimon! You're advancing fast!" Motimon grinned when it heard this and said: "Yeah. I'm all ready to keep it up too." And he hopped off with the others.

After this, I felt like I wanted to digiconvert one more Digimon and decided to digiconvert a Pabumon again. Fortunately, I had fought enough in Kowloon so I had enough scan data for it. I then digiconverted a Pabumon and added it to my phone. We all then went back to Kowloon and trained again.

After a while, I went back to the Digilab and checked to see if anyone could digivolve. Amazingly enough, everyone except for Growlmon could! I then called everyone out and explained it to them. Everyone was really excited and I started by digivolving Agumon. I chose for him to digivolve into a Greymon, and he became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a Greymon—a giant dinosaur Digimon, with orange skin and cyan stripes on his back. He had two legs, two tiny arms with claws at the end (much like a T-Rex) and a big head with an odd brown shell that had two horns and a tusk over his nose. He had two eyes and a mouth too. He looked a whopping 7'10 tall.

When I saw this, I said: "Congratulations, Greymon. You've finally reached the champion level!" and Greymon said: "And not a moment too soon either! I'll keep working hard and looking out for everybody!" He then went off to the side with Growlmon.

I then proceeded to digivolve Armadillomon into an Ankylomon. Like Greymon, he had just undergone a massive height increase. He now walked on four legs and had a tail with a mace ball on the end and an enormous shell on his back with spikes all over the sides. He even had a helmet-like shell over his head with spikes too. He was colored yellow with a purple underbelly. He looked 6'5 tall now. I smiled and said: "Nice going, Ankylomon! You look really cool too!" Ankylomon smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon. I'm glad to hear that." And he went off with Growlmon and Greymon.

I then digivolved Renamon into a Kyubimon. She was still foxlike, only now she walked on four legs. She still had yellow-orange fur, although her paws were surrounded by bluish flames. She also had 9 tails that were very tall and a yin-yang symbol on her body and a ribbon-like ornament around her neck. She looked about 3'3 tall, although her tails were about as tall as she was, making her appear taller. I then said: "Good job, Kyubimon. Although it looks like this is going to be a big change for you… what's it like walking on four legs now?" and Kyubimon said: "Hmph, I don't let little things like that make me lose my cool. It's different, but I'll master it." And then she went off with the others.

I then digivolved Patamon into an Angemon. Now he looked like an angel, with a white full-body garment with white boots, a black belt with a sun belt buckle (and a lavender cloth streaming down from it that went down to his ankles). He had a lavender-colored rope coiled around his left leg and another on his right arm (he also had a sun-shaped shoulder pad on that arm). He had a dark gray helmet over his head that covered his eyes and held a golden rod in his left hand. He had six white wings, waist length brown hair and he looked rather muscular. He looked about as tall as a person at 5'7 tall. I smiled when I saw this and said: "Way to go, Angemon! Good job digivolving!" and Angemon said: "Thank you, Simon. I'll be sure and keep doing my best too." And he went off with the others.

Now I digivolved Pagumon into a Lopmon. Pagumon became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a Lopmon—a small rabbit-like Digimon that walked on two legs and had two arms, two eyes, two giant ears that were taller than she was and three horns at the top of her head. She had light brown fur, but the fur around her ears was pink and she also had a bandana-shaped area of fur around her neck that had pink fur too. She looked about 1'4 tall. "Alright Lopmon! You digivolved really fast again!" I said. Lopmon smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. I'm happy with it too! I'll keep on doing my best!" and she went off with the others.

After that, I digivolved Motimon into a Gotsumon. When the process ended, I said: "Great job, Gotsumon! You're on a real growth spurt!" and Gotsumon grinned and said: "I sure am! I'm looking forward to seeing it go on too." And he went off with the others.

Finally, I digivolved Pabumon into a Tanemon. When the process finished, I said: "Alright, Tanemon! Good job digivolving for the first time!" and she smiled and said: "Thanks! I'm excited to keep going too!" and she went off with the others.

I then decided to try to catch up Lopmon, Gotsumon and Tanemon with the others. I trained them hard and came back to the Digilab, only to find they could digivolve again!

I started by digivolving Lopmon into a BlackGatomon. When the process ended, I said: "Congratulations, BlackGatomon! To think you're a champion level Digimon already… you're doing great!" and she said: "Thank you. I appreciate everything you're doing to help me grow, Simon." And she went off to the side.

I then digivolved Gotsumon into an Ankylomon, like I had with Armadillomon. When the process finished, I said: "Way to go, Ankylomon! You're doing a fantastic job!" and Ankylomon said: "Thank you. I appreciate that and I'll keep it up." And he went off with BlackGatomon.

Then I digivolved Tanemon into a Palmon. She now was rather humanoid, but still a plant—she walked on two legs, had two arms (but they ended with spiky claws at the end instead of actual hands), and a head with a big pink flower growing on top of it and green, plant-like flesh. She looked about 2'8. I smiled when I saw this and said: "Congratulations, Palmon! You're really growing like a weed!" and then Palmon suddenly frowned a little and said: "Eww, no! Weeds are yucky! I'd rather be growing like a rose instead!" and then we laughed together before I said: "Alright then, a rose it is! Sorry Palmon…" and then she said: "It's okay. Thank you for the compliment though!" and she went off with the others.

I then checked my phone only to find that the client that Kyoko had previously referenced was going to be coming in a little more than 15 minutes! I then hastily added all of my Digimon to my phone and left the Digilab, then logged out of Kowloon before going back down to Kyoko's office. When I arrived, Kyoko looked up and said: "Ah, I see you're back. Good job showing up beforehand." "Of course! And it looks like our client is going to be arriving in 15 minutes, right?" I asked. "Indeed. So you'd best get situated until then." Kyoko said.

We then waited until we heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" Kyoko said. The door then opened and I saw… Yuuko come inside! I was speechless and Kyoko said to her: "Welcome to the Kuremi Detective Agency. It's good to see you." "Yes, thank you." Yuuko said. I then heard Kyoko say to me: "This is our client. Her name is—" and then Yuuko finally turned to me and said: "Oh, it's you!" I nodded and said: "Long time no see, Yuuko!" "So when you said you were a cyber sleuth… you were an employee here?!" Yuuko said. I nodded and Kyoko then said: "Hmm… so you two know each other?" "You could… say that." Yuuko replied. "Well I guess that simplifies things. Even so, would you mind reiterating your case request for us, Yuuko?" Kyoko asked. "No, not at all. I want you to investigate my father… Satoru Kamishiro." Yuuko said. "K-Kamishiro? Then Yuuko is—!" I began and then Kyoko said: "Yes. The daughter of the president of Kamishiro Enterprises."

Kyoko then went on: "Even so, the nature of this request is rather… perplexing to me. I heard that your father died in a reported suicide." Yuuko then grimaced and said angrily: "No! My father would never kill himself! That's not true!" And then she regained her composure and said: "Er… sorry." "Don't worry about it. But even so, he has disappeared, right?" Kyoko asked. "Well… yes, that is true. I don't believe he's dead, but even I don't know where he is and I can't prove he's alive and, well—I had hoped that was where you would come in." Yuuko said.

"Wanting us to investigate a missing individual… how interesting. Of course, that is the kind of work detectives do… but not really cyber sleuths. Why not ask a detective who specializes in ordinary investigations instead of cyber-crime?" Kyoko asked. "Well, that is true, but… I think that skills with cyber-crime may be more necessary than it would seem." Yuuko said. "Hmm?" Kyoko asked. "You see, there are various servers where Kamishiro stores information pertaining to everything that's happened to the company and—" Yuuko began and Kyoko said: "And you think in those servers, it may have a record of what happened to your father." "Yes…" Yuuko said. "I get it now. Of course, those servers are very well protected and breaching their security could get us into a lot of trouble." Kyoko said.

"I'm sorry… I know this is an outrageous request, but I had heard that this agency was a real rising star in combatting cyber-crime and I thought you might be just the ones to ask for such a project. I desperately want to find my father, so please…" Yuuko said. Kyoko hesitated for a moment before she said: "Alright, we'll do it." "R-really?!" Yuuko said. "Yes. I have reasons for believing it's a good idea too." Kyoko said. Yuuko grinned and said: "Oh thank you! I really appreciate it!" "No problem. Now then… did you have a target in mind? And if so, how are you proposing we are going to get into one of the servers?" Kyoko asked. "Yes I did, actually. I think the information I'm looking for would be stored on the Avalon server—" Yuuko began and then Kyoko said: "…And that one is heavily fortified. So that raises two questions: first, how are we going to get close enough to infiltrate it, and second, how are we going to get in?"

Yuuko then said: "Umm…" and then she shook her head before she said: "I have no idea… it might work if I were taking a friend from school there… but Simon's clearly a foreigner. You can tell by looking at him." Then Yuuko and I sighed together. It looks like this won't be going anywhere for a while… but then I remembered: Mirei had mentioned a hacking skill called 'stealth hide', which she had claimed would turn me invisible… she said a virus Digimon would be necessary to use it, but since I had Growlmon and BlackGatomon, that shouldn't be a problem… "I think I have an idea." I said. "Hmm?" Kyoko asked. "An old friend taught me a skill that may do the trick, but I need a partner to tell me if it works. Yuuko, would you mind coming with me to Kowloon?" I asked. "No, not at all… but what do you have in mind?" she asked. "It's a concealing skill. Come on, let's go!" I said. "Alright. We'll put this meeting on hold until you two have worked this out. See you in a moment." Kyoko said.

I then went with Yuuko to the fourth floor where we logged into Kowloon and we went to Galacta Park. Yuuko then said: "Okay, looks like we're in a good spot. So what's this skill of yours?" But I shook my head and said: "No. We should go further in—to where we're the least likely to be seen. This is essential for the case after all." Yuuko looked skeptical but then said: "Alright…"

And we went to the deepest part of Kowloon. When we arrived, Yuuko said: "Looks like we're as far in as we can get… can we try it now?" "Sure. Now for this to work, I want you to check your device, Yuuko. Open it up and check to see if you can detect my device." I said. Yuuko then pulled out her phone and used it a bit before she said: "Yes, I can see yours." "Okay. Now let's try this…" I said. I squeezed my hand as I attempted to use stealth hide and in a moment, Yuuko said: "Wha—! Impossible!" and then she said: "Simon! Where did you go?!" and looked around in a complete panic. It looked like it worked... I decided to joke around and I deactivated it as I said: "Boo!" and Yuuko said: "Ahhh!" Before she spun around and saw me. She then frowned and said: "Don't do that! How did you even do that?! You just disappeared into thin air and I couldn't even detect your device—" But then she stopped and said: "Simon, you're a genius!" She then smiled and said: "Okay, I think I'm starting to get what you had in mind… that looks like it'll be plenty effective. Now come on, let's hurry back to the agency!"

And we headed back. When we walked through the door to Kyoko's office, she looked up and said: "Ah, I see it's you two. Have you worked out the skill you had in mind?" "Yes. Simon has just the skill for the job! It'll also make it possible for him to get inside the server too." Yuuko said. "Alright, then I guess we're ready to start after all. Now since you have connections to Kamishiro enterprises, I trust you have the URL to their headquarters, Yuuko?" Kyoko asked. "Yes, I do. Even so, I think it'd be best if I went with Simon in person rather than just giving him the URL, so that way if anything happens, I can relay information to you to relay to him, Kyoko." Yuuko said. "Sure, fair enough. Then let's get this started!" Kyoko said.

Yuuko and I then left and I said: "So where are we going to log in from?" "It would probably be best not to do it from here… that way if they follow the trail of where I logged in from, they can't get you or Kyoko in trouble. Let's try… in Shinjuku. But when we get there, we'd better go to Kowloon first so you can reactivate that skill of yours." Yuuko said. "Okay… but how are we going to stay together when I'm not visible?" I asked. "Just hold onto my shoulders until we get to Kamishiro Enterprises. That way I'll know that you're there. And when we arrive in Kamishiro Enterprises, wait for me to yawn. That'll be your cue to let go and find a way into the server." Yuuko said.

I nodded and we left for Shinjuku. When we arrived, we did just as Yuuko said—we went to Kowloon from a terminal with an internet connection and I reactivated my stealth hide skill, and I made sure to hang on to Yuuko's shoulders as we went all the way back to the terminal at the entrance in Kowloon, where Yuuko logged into Kamishiro Enterprises and soon we arrived:

We were in front of a giant tower that was colored a yellow-orange color and it had flooring of the same color all around it and some terminals. It also had a reception area… Yuuko took a few steps forward and then put her hand over her mouth and yawned softly. I took her cue and let go of her shoulders before I went off to a terminal an employee was using as I saw Yuuko walk up to the reception desk. She must be explaining what she's doing there… when I reached the terminal, I saw an employee there using it… she must be connected to the network! And if that's the case then—!

I then tried to connect jump into the terminal and did so without a hitch. I ended up inside of a digital space with clear walkways and rainbow colored-walls… I snuck through and eventually found a teleportation pad on the ground which I took and ended up in a different area… I was on top of a circular platform with another teleportation pad (as well as the one I had teleported from) and there was something in the middle of the platform… it was what looked like a series of pages that had 3 red lines, 2 of which were in an 'x' shape and the third was wrapped around the middle across them.

I then approached it. Could this be… a saved file?! I then remembered another one of the hacking skills that Mirei had mentioned, a skill called 'code scan', which lets you read encrypted data… she said I would need a data Digimon to use it, but then I had Kyubimon and Palmon, so I was doubly covered. I approached it and used the code scan skill on the files and the red lines around the pages re-aligned themselves to all be wrapped around the middle of the pages and sunk down and disappeared. I then approached the file and tried to look at its contents. It said something about a 'Nile Corporation', which was used in forming the basis for EDEN's design of mental data… I only skimmed a bit of it and (deciding it may be useful) I downloaded it to my phone.

At the same time though, I doubted that this contained the information Yuuko had asked for… just to be sure, I decided to proceed further in and see what I could find. I went to the other teleportation pad and ended up in a space like the rainbow-colored one I was in recently. I climbed up a walkway like a slope and saw something unfortunate: the pathway went on, but two Digimon were blocking the way! One of them was an Agumon and the other was a Biyomon. The Biyomon sighed and said: "Aww man… how much longer until our shift is over? This is boring, watching this place every day and having nothing ever happen…" "Well, it is important work, Biyomon… just stay focused." The Agumon said. "I've been focused for hours! Ugh… I'm sooo bored…" Biyomon said.

Now this was a nasty predicament… I decided to try to sneak by them, as long as I was invisible. I stepped on next to the Biyomon and the Agumon said: "Just keep staring straight ahead and think of something interesting… or about not complaining…" What happened next was unfortunate: Biyomon frowned and turned to Agumon and said: "Don't tell me what to—!" And she prepared to slap him with her wing… but she hit me instead! I bit my tongue and avoided making a sound, but then Biyomon gasped. "What? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Agumon asked. Biyomon ignored him and said: "Alright, come on out! I know you're there!"

I continued trying to sneak away, but since she didn't get a response, Biyomon said: "Spiral twister!" and starting spitting green flames that moved in a spiral pattern all over! I hastily sidestepped one of them, but seeing as this had the potential to get ugly quickly (and that I'd give myself away anyway if I called my Digimon out), I dropped the stealth hide. When Agumon saw me, he said: "HEY! How long have you been there?!" I didn't respond and instead called out Kyubimon, Palmon and Greymon. From there, beating them down was a cinch.

Once we knocked them out, I was so impressed with my Digimon's work that I forgot about my predicament and said: "Great job guys! You sure showed them how to do it!" Palmon smiled and said: "Yippee! Thank you! That was really exciting too!" "Yeah! Great job, Palmon and Kyubimon!" Greymon said. He then knelt down and gave Palmon a high five while Kyubimon smiled and said: "Naturally." And then she went on: "But what kind of a place _is_ this? It doesn't look like Kowloon…" "Yeah! All the walls are really pretty here too! I like it!" Palmon said. Then I once again remembered how dangerous just sitting here was. I exhaled and said: "Contrary to what that confrontation suggested, we're actually in the middle of a pretty dangerous place… so we'd better get moving fast! I'm sorry, but you'll have to go back to my phone for what's involved here, because it's curtains for us if we get caught—"

And then I heard an all-too-familiar voice say: "A-HAAAAA! What do we have here?!" And I swung my head around to see that loser, Jimiken! When he saw me, he said: "Well, well, look who's here! I didn't expect to see _you_ out here on the Avalon server! I guess you're a better hacker than I thought to break in here." "How in blazes did _you_ get in here?!" I asked. "Didn't I tell you? I'm an all-star hacker baby! It's rock and roll!" Jimiken said. Then he went on: "Well what perfect timing this is! I didn't expect to see you in the neighborhood, but now that Fei and Yuuko aren't here to protect you, I'm gonna get you back for what you did in Kowloon!" "You can't be serious! Do you even have any idea what Kamishiro is going to _do_ to us if they find us in here?!" I asked. "Ahahaha! What's the matter? Scared of a little authority? That doesn't rock!" Jimiken said. "Fine. You go on and get thrown in prison then. But I'm not getting stuck in here!" I said as I tried to run past him and then Jimiken said: "Not so fast! BlueMeramon!" and he called out two Digimon just like his Meramon from before—they were humanoid with bodies that were covered in flames, but their flames were blue and they looked a little taller than regular Meramon, at about 5'10. Jimiken then said: "Don't let him through!" And they advanced towards me. "Give me a break! How crazy are you?!" I asked. I felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: BlueMeramon scan data: 20%". It said they were virus Digimon, so I called back Kyubimon and Palmon and sent in Angemon and Growlmon to help Greymon. I hated having to do this, but it looked like I had no choice but to fight after all.

I then said: "Greymon, give one of them a Mega flame! Growlmon, back him up with an exhaust flame!" and Greymon and Growlmon attacked with fire while Angemon said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and he drew his fist back as it started to shine before he projected a beam of light from it that hit one of the BlueMeramon! They all blasted the BlueMeramon on the left—which looked like it went over quite well! "Alright, one of you use cold flame on Growlmon! The other, use meteor fall!" Jimiken said. One of the BlueMeramon then said: "Cold flame!" And shot a blue flame at Growlmon who recoiled from being hit by it and the other said: "Meteor fall!" And a small meteor fell down on my Digimon! "Angemon, use heaven's knuckle on the same one! Growlmon, join in with exhaust flame! Greymon, ready an acceleration boost!" I said. Angemon then said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and attacked the BlueMeramon on the left with another beam of light projected from his fist (and he looked a bit more focused after the attack) and Growlmon joined in and hit that BlueMeramon with exhaust flame too. Greymon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to give his next attack a massive damage boost! Jimiken then grimaced and said: "Alright, both of you: use Wolkenapalm 2 on that Growlmon!" And then they each caused a fiery explosion to occur where Growlmon was, who had trouble getting back up! "Angemon, heal Growlmon! Greymon and Growlmon, let the BlueMeramon on the left have it!" I said. Angemon then said: "X-heal!" and restored Growlmon's health. Greymon then said: "Mega flame!" and Growlmon said: Exhaust flame!" and hit the left BlueMeramon on the left with fire—and that one didn't get back up! When Jimiken saw this, he looked furious as he called him back and said: "Alright, no more Mr. nice guy! BlueMeramon, use panic wisp on the Angemon!" and the BlueMeramon then blasted Angemon with that fiery wisp that made him look flustered. Not again…

Greymon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to strengthen his next attack. Growlmon hit the BlueMeramon with exhaust flame while Angemon then lashed out at Growlmon and hit him and it looked like he hit a weak spot, because he took the attack harder than I expected… Jimiken then said: "Alright! This is our opportunity! Hit the Growlmon with cold flame!" and then the BlueMeramon sent a blue flame at Growlmon and Growlmon collapsed. I then called out one of my Ankylomon and Greymon then attacked with Mega Flame and while this scored a bit hit on BlueMeramon, he still got up anyway and Angemon then hit Ankylomon before Jimiken said: "Give them a meteor fall!" and BlueMeramon did so.

Seeing how Angemon wasn't really helping right now, I decided to call him back and send in my other Ankylomon instead. I then said: "Greymon, hit BlueMeramon with heavy strike 2! Ankylomon, use tail hammer—" and one of my Ankylomon then said: "Uh… which one?"

I then felt embarrassed as I realized I should have seen this coming, by digivolving two different Digimon into a member of the same species, I had created a situation that would keep them from understanding which one I was speaking to… and that would affect their ability to take orders in turn. I needed a way to fix this…

"Both of you!" I said. My Ankylomon then smacked BlueMeramon hard with the mace balls on their tails and then Greymon ran in and struck BlueMeramon with his claws. Jimiken then said: "BlueMeramon, use panic wisp on that Greymon!" and BlueMeramon said: "Panic wisp!" and hit Greymon with a wisp of fire that made him look flustered… "Okay, both Ankylomon, hit him with tail hammer again!" I said. My Ankylomon then did so and then Jimiken said: "Hit one of the Ankylomon with a cold flame!" and BlueMeramon said: "Cold flame!" and hit one of my Ankylomon with a blue flame. Greymon then struck one of my Ankylomon with his tail.

This kept going on until BlueMeramon took down one of my Ankylomon… fortunately, BlueMeramon was also really starting to look beat right now and Greymon had just snapped out of it. I then called my Ankylomon back and sent in Angemon and BlackGatomon. Luckily enough, Angemon also snapped out of it and I said: "Alright everyone, attack together! Angemon, use holy light 2! Greymon, mega flame! BlackGatomon, use lightning paw!" and Angemon said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light form where BlueMeramon was before Greymon spat up a big flame at BlueMeramon and BlackGatomon said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at BlueMeramon with her paws… and he squarely fell over on his back and wouldn't get up! We had won!

Jimiken then called back his last BlueMeramon and said: "Whaaaaat?! Those were my strongest Digimon! What is this?!" and he looked frustrated, but then I then felt my phone vibrate and I saw I had a text message from Kyoko… I read it and it said: "Simon—stop whatever you're doing and get out of there right now! According to what Yuuko's told me, they know you're there and have sent authorized personnel to find you. Reactivate your concealing ability and get back to the agency! Yuuko has already left, so don't worry about her." I felt a shiver go down my spine and Jimiken then put his face in his hand and shook it. I used the opportunity to call my Digimon back and reactivated my stealth hide trick before running off. As I passed by him, I soon heard him say: "Hey! Where'd you go? Chicken!" But I didn't care—I had to get out of here!

I followed my trail that I had taken to get in here and luckily escaped without being found. Once I was in the streets of Shinjuku, I finally caught my breath and hurried back to the agency. When I finally was back, I reentered Kyoko's office and saw her and Yuuko there. When they looked up, Yuuko said: "Simon!" and Kyoko gave a sigh of relief and said: "I'm so glad you escaped without being caught. We were both starting to get nervous…" "Aha… sorry." I said. "So what happened? How did they find you?" Kyoko asked.

I then retold how Biyomon had accidentally hit me and found me out and how Jimiken had gotten in my way. By the end, Yuuko looked discouraged as she said: "Wow, so that idiot stalled you out in your precious time there… that's a real double-whammy. And I guess because of that, you didn't find anything related to my father, did you?" "I'm not sure… I think it's safe to say that I didn't, but I did find an interesting file on something called the 'Nile Corporation'—" I began and then Kyoko immediately said: "The Nile Corporation? I see…" "Do you know something about it, Kyoko?" I asked. "…I do. Unfortunately, I can confirm that what my assistant suspects is true: that won't have any connection to your father." Kyoko said as she turned to Yuuko.

Neither of us replied, then Kyoko went on: "Still, this makes things really difficult… since the Avalon Server has been breached and Kamishiro knows about it right now, it's going to be hard to get back in there… I guess this case is going to have to be ongoing—" before Yuuko said: "It's alright… you both were really brave and did more than anyone else ever could. It couldn't be helped." Kyoko and I looked up as Yuuko said: "I'll pay you your fee now—you should be rewarded for taking on such an outrageous request. But if you and Kamishiro's paths ever cross again, could I at least ask that you keep your eyes peeled for something related my father?" "Of course you can! I'm sorry we couldn't find anything, Yuuko…" I said. "I am too. But we will keep our eyes open Yuuko Kamishiro… count on it." Kyoko said.

Yuuko smiled and paid us our fee before she left. Kyoko then turned to me and said: "Now then Simon… do you mind if I copy that file on the Nile Corporation that you saved?" "No, not at all." I said. "Thank you, Simon. And I have to say, you really are reliable. You've already surpassed my expectations of how well you would do. I'm impressed." Kyoko said. I smiled and said: "Thanks, Kyoko."

I still wasn't feeling confident about having just hacked Kamishiro's database and what that might mean for my future… but I guess I'll just take the same approach that I've taken ever since all this craziness started when I came to Japan: one thing at a time…


	19. Simon: Mysteries, monsters and manga

Simon Chapter 9—Mysteries, monsters and manga—

The next day when I came into the office, Kyoko looked up and said: "Ah, good morning Simon." "Good morning, Kyoko. What's on the agenda for today?" I asked. "A new case has come in from Makiko. She'll be coming by to explain it at 10:00, so make sure you're back before then, okay?" Kyoko asked. "Sure thing! See you soon!" I said. I then trained my Digimon in Kowloon until it was 9:40 and then made my way back to the office and waited for Makiko's return.

Makiko arrived a little before the appointed time and when Kyoko saw her, she said: "Welcome, Makiko. How can we help you today?" "I wanted to ask for your help in an investigation…" Makiko said, and then Kyoko said: "So what kind of investigation is it?" "Well… there is a small group of people who have fallen into an endless coma, and we aren't sure why that is…" Makiko said. She then went on: "Let me be more specific: There are twelve individuals in Akihabara who have fallen into a comatose state for a month and there doesn't appear to be any end in sight for any of them… we can't determine the cause, but we do have something of a lead to go off of…" "And?" I asked. "As I said, these twelve people fell into comas a month ago. It also happens that thirty-one days ago, there was an arranged meeting place for a community of local manga lovers who met online—and the next day, those twelve people were found there in that comatose state. But the thing is, we know of thirteen people who attended it—" Makiko began and then Kyoko said: "Hmm… how odd. So who was the thirteenth person?"

"Our current suspect. She was brought in for questioning, but she wouldn't answer anything, and ended up fleeing. Now she's now a fugitive. Her name's Nishino. I can show you a photo of her now…" Makiko said as she pulled out a photo and handed it to Kyoko. Kyoko looked it over and nodded before she handed it to me and I examined it: this 'Nishino' was still young, likely eighteen years old, or maybe a little less. She was wearing a cyan shirt, blue jeans and had long black hair. I then handed it back to Makiko and Makiko then said: "Of course, we can't prove that Nishino was the one who induced these comas, but given her suspicious behavior, she has our attention. We were hoping you would investigate this incident and help us get to the bottom of it." "Leave it to us." Kyoko said. "Thank you. In that case, I have something for Simon to do. May I borrow him for a moment?" Makiko asked. "Absolutely." Kyoko said. "Great. I'll be going back to work once I show him, so I won't be returning to your office after this. Thanks again, Kyoko." Makiko said.

Makiko then took me to the fourth floor where she started using the terminal there. "What are we doing, Makiko?" I asked. "We're going to the website I told you about—it's called ComiMania, short for 'Comic Maniacs'. I've already talked to them and gotten their cooperation, so I'm going to introduce you to them and get any clues that we can. Since it's on an EDEN network, we're going in person." she replied. Makiko kept using it and then said: "Okay, we're going to be going in shortly…" and then we were sent to an open area with some people that had tables set up around us and posters all over with characters drawn in manga-style art. There were also bookshelves out that were jam-packed with manga, but it said they were for users only.

Eventually, a man walked up to us and when he saw Makiko, he said: "Ah, the detective! Welcome back! Can I help you?" "Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Shimono, please?" Makiko said. "Absolutely! He will be with you in a minute." The man said. Makiko and I waited for a bit and then the man came back with another man and the other man walked up to Makiko and said: "Hello Ms. Date. May I help you?" "Yes. I brought this detective with me to help in my investigation. Please tell us anything you can think of that could help to apprehend the criminal." Makiko replied. "Yes, we reviewed all of the posts related to the event and we had a list we recovered of all the users who attended the event you spoke of, except…" Mr. Shimono began, and Makiko said: "Except…?"

He then went on: "I'm sorry, but it was hacked and removed from our servers." He then went on: "Someone in hacker territory near the EDEN servers removed it… I suppose to remove anything that could incriminate them…" I was surprised when I heard this. Someone in 'hacker territory'? That sounded like Kowloon! "And you really can't tell where that is?" Makiko asked. "Well, we don't know the name, but we have the URL. Here…" The man said. He then sent it to Makiko's phone and Makiko looked down before she said: "Tch…" "If I may, can I look at that, Makiko?" I asked. "Sure." She said. She showed me the screen and I saw the URL: It _was_ Kowloon!

Makiko and the man had a long talk, but nothing came of it, and she left looking disappointed. "Well that didn't help… we're still no closer to—" she began, but then I said: "Actually, I think we've got a lead." "You do?" Makiko said. "Yes. I recognize this URL. This is the cyberspace known as 'Kowloon'." I said back. Makiko grinned and said: "Oh that's great! Then Simon—could you go in there and track down that data thief?" "Leave it to me!" I said. Makiko smiled back and said: "Great! Then go get 'em!"

We then left the ComiMania website and went our separate ways. Makiko went off while I went to the Digilab. When I arrived, I checked to see if any of my Digimon could digivolve, but it said none of them could. I guess I was checking too soon… I then stood up to leave, but then I had a different idea; I remembered my recent trip to the Avalon Server and when my two Ankylomon were out… I almost couldn't give them orders, because they both had the same name. I should do something to fix this before I go out this time…

I thought it over and finally got the idea to give them proper names. It would work perfectly—with unique names, the potential for any more confusion would cease to exist. I then went to the farm island and called out all of my Digimon to discuss this with them. When they were all out, Growlmon said: "Huh? What are we all doing out here, Simon?" and Angemon said: "Yeah, normally we get called out in a crowd like this in the Digilab, but not the farm island… what's going on?"

I then said: "I brought you all here because I had something I wanted to talk to you all about." My Digimon looked puzzled and I went on: "Up until recently, our coordination has been very good and gone off without a hitch. However, in light of these recently-unforeseen complications in how I've digivolved my Ankylomon, it's become harder to give orders in battle." One of my Ankylomon then said: "That's true… We did kind of hit a bump in the road in the Avalon Server…" the other then said: "Yeah, that did complicate things…" I then said: "It did. But luckily, I have an idea for how to keep this from ever being an issue again." I then went on: "I want to give you proper names instead of calling you by the name of your species. You could think of them like nicknames, I suppose."

I then heard lots of chatter amongst them. Some of them were very excited about the idea. Growlmon was saying: "Yeah! That sounds neat!" one of my Ankylomon also said: "That's not a bad idea. Practical, yet pleasing. I like it." BlackGatomon also said: "That sounds great. And it's an idea that's very true to your style, Simon." others weren't so pleased with this. I heard My other Ankylomon say: "Is this supposed to be a joke?" and Greymon say: "He's gotta be kidding." The rest of them seemed indifferent on the matter. I then said: "I am completely serious about this. After all, you never know if something like this may come up again in the future too. Please, I insist."

"Well… what do you want to call us?" Greymon asked. "I thought we'd handle that on an individual basis. Growlmon, would you care to start?" I asked. Growlmon then stepped forward and said: "Sure! What's my new name going to be?" "For you, Scott was the first one I thought of. Does that sound okay to you?" I asked. Growlmon smiled and said: "You bet! Scott it is!" and then he backed up.

I then went on: "Now then, how about we do Greymon next?" Greymon then stepped forward and said: "…Alright, let's hear it." "Well, 'Evan' was one I had in mind." I said. "…How about we try something else?" Greymon said. "Sure. Another idea I had was 'Pepper'." I said back. Greymon then smiled faintly and said: "And I think that's a kind of spice that's hot, right?" I nodded and he said: "Okay, I'll go with that. It feels a little more tailored to me." He then backed up.

I then said: "Now let's move on to the most pressing matter at hand: My Ankylomon." And they both stepped forward and one of them said: "Alright, so what's it going to be?" "I was thinking of 'Zachary' for you." I said back. "Sure. That's a nice-sounding name. I'll enjoy it." He said. He then backed up and my remaining Ankylomon said: "…Alright, so what was your idea?" "I was thinking of Herbert for one." I said. "Mmm… nah. What else ya got?" Ankylomon asked. "Alright. How about Larry?" I asked. "Yeah. That sounds better. I'll go with it." Ankylomon said. He then went to the rest of the group.

After that, I said: "Alright then, would you care to go next, Kyubimon?" and she stepped up and said: "Sure. What'll it be?" "I was thinking of 'Sabrina' for you." I said. "Sure. That sounds fine by me." Kyubimon said. She then went back to the group.

"Alright, now you're up, Angemon." I said. He then came forward and said: "Okay, what are your ideas?" "I thought of 'Winston' for you." I said. "Sure. I like how that sounds!" Angemon said. And then he went back to the group.

"Alright then. BlackGatomon, would you care to come up?" I asked. She then stepped up and said: "Okay. I'm excited to see what you've thought up." "My idea for your name was 'Elena'." I said. "Wow! What a pretty name! I like it." BlackGatomon said. She then went back to the group.

Finally, I said: "Alright. That leaves you, Palmon." And she came up and said: "Okay, let's hear it!" and I said: "Ashlett was the idea I had for your name." "That certainly is a pretty name, but… don't you have anything more tailored to me? Like a flower name?" Palmon asked. "No problem. How about 'Daisy'?" I asked. Palmon smiled and said: "Yeah! I think that's the name of a pretty flower, right? I'll take it!"

After she went back to the group, I smiled and said: "Alright then! I'm glad this worked out for everyone! Thank you for your flexibility everyone—I know some of you had a harder time warming up to this, but this will be a big help in the future. Now let's do our best!" and everyone cheered before I called them back and we left the farm island, and then the Digilab.

After that, I proceeded to Kowloon. I had a few Digimon battles as I went to the deepest area of Kowloon and I saw… another series of pages that had three red lines, two of which were in an 'x' shape and the third was wrapped around the middle across them—another saved file! Could this be it? I went up to it and used my code scan skill to decrypt it and read the information. According to the document… it was a list of the people who attended the meeting for the ComiMania users that occurred thirty-one days ago… this was it! I checked the document, but unfortunately, I didn't find anything new… It was just as Makiko said: There were only thirteen names on the list, one of which was Nishino's. Now it looked even more likely that Nishino at least had some connection to the culprit…

Unfortunately, just then I heard a: "HEY! What do you think you're looking at?!" I looked up and saw… a Digimon floating before me. He was humanoid, about 5'7 tall and he wore a maroon robe with a hood and had a black face with glowing pale yellow eyes and black hands with long, pointed nails. He was also holding a tome of some kind… He then went on: "What are you, some obnoxious hacker, sticking his nose where it doesn't belong for fun? Get away from that data!" "I cannot. That document contains information that's essential to an investigation pertaining to an incident in Akihabara—" I began and then the Digimon looked surprised as he said: "You… you're after Nishino, aren't you?!"

"Nishino is a possible suspect, but I wouldn't assume anything if I were you. How do you know her?" I asked. "Tch… you're just like everyone else! You make assumptions about her without even bothering to hear her side of the story about that black and white monster that showed up that day…" the Digimon said. "Wait a minute—what did you say?" I asked. "Silence! I will defend Nishino from all of you presumptuous scum! Get ready to be beaten!" the Digimon said.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Wisemon scan data: 10%". It also said Wisemon was a virus type, so I called out Pepper, Winston and Elena. Wisemon then looked down at his book and said: "Pandora Dialogue!" and odd letters came flying out of it as my Digimon all started to flinch. Wisemon then said: "Ngh!" as though he was in pain… I then said: "Pepper, boost your strength! Elena, get him with a lightning paw!" and Pepper said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on himself that boosted the power of his non-magic attacks. Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and leapt at Wisemon and swiped at him with her claws. Winston then said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and drew his fist back at Wisemon, and his fist started to shine before he projected a beam of light from it at Wisemon! It looked like it worked pretty well, too!

Wisemon got up and said: "Hell crusher!" And three groups of purplish-pink wisps spun around Pepper, Elena and Winston and crashed into them and hurt them. Pepper and Elena then hit Wisemon with mega flame and lightning paw. Wisemon then said: "Nightmare 2!" and purple dark energy formed around Pepper and burst. Winston then used another heaven's knuckle and Wisemon then said: "Anti-paralysis!" and cast a spell on himself. He looked like he felt better after he cast it…

Winston then said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and blasted Wisemon with another beam. Elena then used another lightning paw on him and Wisemon then said: "Pandora Dialogue!" and odd letters flew out of his tome as all of my Digimon recoiled again… and so did he at the end. I then said: "Pepper, give yourself another boost!" and Pepper said: "Attack charge!" and he boosted the effect of his previous boost while refreshing its duration. Wisemon then said: "Nightmare 2!" and blasted Elena with that purple dark energy and she was starting to look tired…

I then said: "Elena, prepare to block! Pepper, get pumped with an acceleration boost!" and Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and he prepared to really power up his next attack. Wisemon then said: "Hell crusher!" and blasted my Digimon with the three wisps of darkness again. Elena was looking worn out after this and it seemed Winston noticed, because he said: "X-heal!" and cast a spell on Elena that really restored her health! "Alright! Good thinking Winston! Now send him packing, Pepper and Elena! Use mega flame and lightning paw!" and Elena said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at Wisemon with her claws before she got out of the way and Pepper said: "Mega flame!" and he spat a massive fireball at Wisemon. Wisemon then fell into a kneeling position as he said: "Argh! So be it. I couldn't stop you here… but I will not let you get Nishino!" and then he went on: "I hope you took a good look at that file while you had the chance!" and the data file vanished! Wisemon then disappeared. "Hey! Hold on!" I said. But there was no response…

At this stage, I wasn't sure what to do… the data made it look like Nishino was clearly guilty, but that monster Wisemon had mentioned… that 'black and white monster'… could that be an Eater? If it was, then that changes everything… that would also reveal important information about what the Eaters' abilities are and some information Kamishiro might not want the public to know and it would also solve the case. I guess the only thing to do is to find Nishino and see if the monster she saw matches the characteristics of an Eater… of course, Nishino was going to be trying to avoid people like me, which would make this tricky.

Nonetheless, I persevered. I left and went back to the Digilab to heal my Digimon and once I was done, I decided to go Akihabara to look for clues. Of course, it was quite possible that Nishino may have already left the city and could be on the run somewhere else, but I wasn't going to know until I tried…

I then headed to Akihabara and arrived at nightfall, but when I arrived, I was in for a shock—the entire area had a teal-tinted lighting and there were black patches on the ground that were corroding at the surrounding architecture, then receding backwards, like waves… it looked like another digital wave!

"What? Why did this happen…?" I asked. Then I stopped and thought for a moment and remembered something Suedou said… he had said that: "In other words, if a digital wave occurs, an Eater will be there too." That might mean the real culprit is here! Of course, Nishino likely wouldn't be, but if I could stop the Eater and my theory was later confirmed, I would have saved a lot of people from a horrible fate. Well now it's time for a change of plans! I decided to go in!

I headed into the streets of the area and saw… Arata and his Keramon up ahead! "ARATA?" I said. He then turned to me and said: "Hey! Simon!" He and his Keramon then approached me and he said: "I'm guessing you're investigating this place, huh?" "I suppose the correct answer would be 'yes and no'. So what are you doing here? Attracted to the unknown again?" I asked. "Absolutely! It's not every day I can call Keramon out on Earth either!" Arata said. He then went on: "As long as we're both here, what do you say we team up?" I grinned and said: "Sure. You were a big help last time too." Arata grinned back and said: "Thanks." Then he said: "Alright! Let's hit it!"

We then explored the streets, having several battles with Digimon as we went. But eventually, we saw a figure in the distance… Arata and I exchanged glances before we ran up to it and saw… "SUEDOU?" Arata said. Suedou then turned around and said: "Ah! Hello boys! It's been a while!"

We then walked up to each other and Suedou said: "So it was… Simon and Arata, I believe?" "That's right. What are you doing somewhere so dangerous?" I asked. "Dear me, haven't I said before? Kamishiro wants me to investigate phenomena such as this and only I—with my superior mind—can do it!" Suedou said. "So it looks like a digital wave again, right?" Arata said. "Yes indeed—but not just an ordinary one. I'm starting to believe that these kinds of digital waves—just like the one we saw in Shinjuku—are too powerful to be considered ordinary digital waves. This could be due to their connection to Eaters. Therefore I have decided to call this phenomenon… a digital shift!" Suedou said. "Hmph. Easy enough to remember, I guess. So there's another Eater here too?" Arata said. "Indeed! And I trust you remember what effect slaying it will have?" Suedou asked. "Dispelling the digital shift, right?" I said. "Precisely!" Suedou said. "Well I guess we'd better get going then—" Arata began and then I said: "WAIT!" and they both looked at me.

I then went on: "Suedou… do you know what effect it has on a human if an Eater comes into contact with their data?" "Yes. But as much as I would love to tell you, I am not at liberty to do so." He replied. "Hmmph… I guess that's that then." I said.

Arata and I then headed off. We kept navigating our way through the area, fighting more Digimon throughout, and our Digimon were starting to get worn down… Arata's Keramon eventually got so tired that Arata had to call him back! We kept going until we made it into a dead end… but there was someone there! It was a teenage girl… she was wearing a lavender tank top with white shorts and had long, black hair that was tied at the bottom and went down to her shoulder blades. When I saw her, I thought she looked familiar somehow… but then I remembered: Makiko's picture of Nishino! It looked like she had changed up her appearance a bit to avoid detection, but luckily I could see the resemblance. She was sitting down and had a laptop, but there was something weird going on in the sides of the buildings… it looked like a scene that was done in manga-style art… and it kept updating itself!

When Arata saw her, he looked shocked and said: "Nishino!" the girl then looked up and said: "Oh! Arata!" they then approached each other and Arata said: "I never expected to see you here. What are you doing out here?" "Just spending a little time with a friend of mine." Nishino replied before she said: "But I'm also drawing like I've never drawn before! So do you like my manga art out here?" Arata looked shocked as he said: "What are you talking about? Surely you're not talking about—" and then she said: "Yes! See, look!" and she went back to working on her laptop and the art scenes on the side of the buildings got updated again! "You're doing that with your laptop?" Arata asked. "This strange environment gives me the power to concentrate more easily, do better and draw like I never could with my mouse instead of a pen! At last I can create the kind of manga I've always wanted to!" Nishino said.

"That's amazing…" I said. They both looked up at me and I said: "So I guess that makes you more of an animator, although I have to wonder… why are you doing this out here? Why not publish online?" "I could, but… just look at how majestic it is when it's this size and this detailed! Plus I can update it in real time, allowing for digital effects that you can't get otherwise! No one's ever drawn a manga as big as a building before, and that's what makes mine unique! It's a manga in its own class of grandeur and innovation!" Nishino said. I smiled and nodded and said: "I have to admit, it is pretty cool…" and Nishino giggled and said: "I'm glad someone likes it! Hopefully you'll be the first of many. It's nice to meet someone who has my taste in manga, though. What's your name?" "My name is Simon—" I began and then I heard a familiar voice say: "Nishino! Don't talk to him!"

And I saw that Wisemon come out of nowhere. He then said: "This boy is investigating you, Nishino! Run!" "Wh-what?!" Nishino said before I said: "NO! I'm not trying to apprehend her!" Both Wisemon and Nishino looked at me and I said: "I will admit that I was in Kowloon looking for clues about the case of the twelve people in a comatose state and I came across some data Wisemon was guarding. But he mentioned something of far greater interest to me than anything I read on that file. He said you had seen a 'black and white monster'." "Yes, that's right." Nishino said. "Nishino—please tell me everything you can about that monster. Be as detailed as you can!" I said.

"I was online with twelve other people I knew there. We were all together, discussing our favorite manga and our own works. Even though I was the butt of some of the other people's jokes, it was still going just fine for a while… until a horrible monster showed up! It was an ugly, floating creature with a whole bunch of tentacles and a nautilus shell on its back and two eyes on the sides of its head, with a ton of black-and-white stripes all over." Nishino said. "That's… an Eater!" I said. "You… you know what those are?!" Nishino asked. "Yes, I've encountered them myself." I replied. "Oh my gosh, you've come into contact with those horrible things?! You're so brave!" Nishino said. "Never mind that! Please continue, Nishino." I said.

"Er… right. Well, it started grabbing people with its tentacles and it pulled them up to its mouth and… it looked like it was giving them a kiss, but it was a devastating one… once it kissed them, it would throw them to the ground and they wouldn't move anymore… it was like they were either dead or in a coma! I ran away while it was doing this and as far as I know, I was the only one who escaped. The next day, I was bought in for questioning, but no one believed me when I told them about the Eater… they said I was making up lies and told me to tell the truth. I kept trying to tell them, but they wouldn't listen and threatened to arrest me, so I ran away and I've been a fugitive ever since…" Nishino said. "Then they've got this all wrong! You're innocent! It's the Eater who was the culprit!" I said. I then went on: "Don't worry—I'll clear your name. I can explain to them about the Eater and you won't be a fugitive anymore."

"Oh, thank you!" Nishino said. She then put her laptop aside and hugged me. She soon let go and picked up her laptop and Wisemon stood there, looking dumbfounded before he floated over to me and said: "I'm sorry—I misjudged you. I thought you weren't going to give Nishino a fair chance, and yet here you are, resolving to clear her name. For that, you have my sincere apologies." "Thank you Wisemon, but you owe yourself just as much credit… if you hadn't mentioned the Eater, I would have had a very different opinion about this issue." I said. We all then smiled. But then I saw an Eater come out of one of the streets behind us! "Nishino! Wisemon! Turn around!" I said. They did so and when they saw the Eater, Nishino said: "Oh no!" While Wisemon held up his tome. "Ahh, jeez… I would love to help get rid of that thing… if only my Digimon wasn't beat…" Arata said before Wisemon floated forward and said: "Then let me!"

Nishino looked nervous and said: "Wisemon, are you sure? That thing is dangerous!" "It'll be alright Nishino—we Digimon are highly resistant to data corrosion caused by Eaters. Now come—this will be our first battle!" Wisemon said. Nishino grinned and said: "Yeah!"

I called out Scott, Winston and Sabrina and said: "Scott, give yourself a boost!" and then Scott said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on himself boosting the power of his non-magic attacks. "I guess it's my turn then… Pandora Dialogue!" Wisemon said. He then cast that spell where he made all of the letters come flying out of his book and the Eater actually took it a little hard before Wisemon looked just a little uncomfortable. The waves of data then emerged around the Eater before they dispersed… it was powering itself up… Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and Winston said: "Holy light 2!" and Sabrina caused a fiery explosion to occur (with the Eater at the epicenter) while Winston made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where the Eater was. The Eater's eye facing us then turned purple and it thrust and wrapped its tentacles around Scott before it retracted them and its eye turned yellow again. Scott got up, but looked like he had taken a bit of damage…

Wisemon then said: "Nightmare 2!" and he hit the Eater with that exploding mass of purple dark energy! Scott then said: "Exhaust flame!" and breathed his black, smoky breath at the Eater. Winston pitched in too with a heaven's knuckle. The Eater's tentacles then crackled with electricity and it slammed into Wisemon, who looked like he was in pain. "Urf…" Wisemon said. "Wisemon, can you remove it with Anti-paralysis?" Nishino asked. Wisemon tried to cast the spell, but gave up and said: "I could cure this if I weren't debilitated… the irony of this is sickening…" Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and hit the Eater with it. The Eater then thrust its tentacles at Scott who recovered from it.

"Scott, recharge your boost! Winston, use heaven's knuckle again!" I said. Scott then said: "Attack charge!" and powered himself up again while Winston used another heaven's knuckle. Wisemon then stood and said: "Anti-paralysis!" and cast a spell on himself which restored himself and removed the paralysis. Luckily, the waves of data then emerged around the Eater and it didn't try to inflict paralysis again. I then said: "Sabrina, give yourself a boost!" and she said: "Mental charge!" and increased her damage output with magic attacks, and her damage resistance to magic attacks as well. The Eater's eye then turned purple and it thrust its tentacles at Sabrina and retracted them. Wisemon then said: "Nightmare 2!" and made that purple energy form around the Eater and burst.

Thanks to our cleverness, the Eater was starting to look tired. Even so, our individual attacks didn't seem to be doing much of anything… its resistance to damage was obviously high… but Elena's lightning paw was supposed to not fluctuate in damage based on damage resistance… maybe that would help… I then called Scott back and sent in Elena and said: "Elena, give him a lightning paw! Sabrina, give Wisemon a boost! Winston, heal Sabrina!" and Sabrina gave Wisemon a boost too, while Winston healed Sabrina's wounds. Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and she leapt at the Eater and swiped at him with her claws—and it worked great! The Eater fell right over! We then heard Nishino say: "Go for it, Wisemon!" and he said: "Take this!" and purple dark energy formed around the Eater and burst—and the Eater wouldn't get up! It threw up its tentacles and faded away!

"We did it!" I said. Nishino followed up by saying: "Woo-hoo! That was a great first battle!" "It certainly was!" Wisemon said. "Heh. Wish I could have been part of it." Arata said. "Don't feel bad, Arata." Nishino said. "Yes. Even if you didn't participate in the battle, you still got us here." I said. Arata grinned and the entire area then started going back to normal. "Looks like the digital shift is going away…" Arata said. Wisemon then looked weakened (as did Elena, Sabrina and Winston) and Winston said: "Wow… getting to see Earth was incredible! I'll definitely remember what I saw here, it was so amazing! But even so, could you get us back to your phone, Simon?" "Sure thing, Winston." I said. I then called him and the others back to my phone while Nishino looked at Wisemon and looked worried. She then said to him: "Wisemon… what's going to happen to you?!" "With the collapse of this digital wave, I cannot stay here anymore… but don't worry—I will simply be sent back to Kowloon. And we can meet there anytime, Nishino." Wisemon replied. "Yeah… Nishino said. Wisemon then went on: "It was fascinating getting to see your world too… and to think it is something not many Digimon have done…" "That's true. You're quite the discoverer now, Wisemon!" She said.

They both laughed together before Wisemon vanished. Now the entire area was back to normal. Nishino looked at a building which she had been drawing on and said: "Oh no… the phenomenon that let me draw like I wanted to… it's gone…" Arata then stepped forward and said: "Nishino… I always liked the way you drew. Believe it or not, it has its own unique charm. And your writing was top-notch." Nishino gave a faint smile and said: "Thank you, Arata…" I looked at this before I said: "That's right. But even if you can't make the drawings the size of a building or use those digital effects… I think you should still pursue animation, Nishino." She then looked at me and I went on: "You obviously love doing it and you're only going to get better as long as you keep doing it. It would be a waste for such talent to go to waste just because you can't make a manga like you could in the digital shift. Besides, technology is constantly evolving, and you don't know how long it will be until those kinds of effects will be possible without a digital shift. So keep doing it—it would be sad for a dream that you can achieve to remain a dream."

Nishino smiled faintly before she nodded and said: "Alright, I will! It wouldn't be as fun letting it remain a dream, as you say. Thank you, Simon…" I grinned and said: "No problem." Then I went on: "And I know I have a promise to make good on, so I'm off to clear your name." Then I looked at them both as I said: "Arata, Nishino—I hope to see you later!" "Yeah. See you, Simon!" Arata said. "Thank you, Simon." Nishino said.

I then left the area and returned to Broadway, where I made it to Kyoko's office. When I arrived, Kyoko looked up and said: "Goodness, you're back late… well, what happened?" "I figured it out! This case is solved, Kyoko!" I said. "Already? Who was the suspect then?" Kyoko asked.

I then retold what I had learned about the Eater, its abilities, what happened in Kowloon and what happened in the digital shift in Akihabara. By the time I finished, Kyoko looked surprised and said: "So Eaters can make people enter comas? That's awful… and with these 'digital shifts' emerging in Japan, we shouldn't speak of such things lightly… those Eater's abilities are horrifying…"

"You're telling me! If these digital shifts continue, these could only be the first of many cases of comas…" I said. "I wasn't just talking about that possibility… I was actually thinking more of you, Simon." Kyoko said. "Huh?" I asked. "Remember? Those twelve people were 'kissed' by an Eater and their bodies entered a comatose state. That means that yours is out there too, somewhere…" Kyoko said. I then felt a chill come down my spine as I said: "So that means I'm not flesh and blood… I'm just…" and Kyoko said: "Likely a manifestation of your mental data. After all, that's how your appearance was repaired, right?" I groaned and looked down and Kyoko then went on: "I guess I shouldn't have mentioned that… forget I said anything. But your work is exemplary Simon—to have solved such a case so quickly and been so thorough and without any help… you're doing a truly outstanding job." I then looked up and grinned before saying: "Thanks Kyoko." "Anyway, it's too late to meet with Makiko now, but we'll meet with her in the morning. In the meantime, you should take a well-earned rest." She said. "Alright. I'll just send her a text message about the meeting…" I said. And I did so. As it turned out, Makiko replied and we scheduled a time to meet tomorrow before the end of the day!

The next day I came, and we waited for Makiko to show. Eventually she came in and Kyoko said: "Ah. Welcome, Makiko." And Makiko said: "Thank you Kyoko." Before she turned to me and said: "So you found the culprit?" "Yes." I said. "And so?" Makiko said. I then explained to her that the Eater was responsible, what had really happened at the meeting, about the digital shift and that Nishino was innocent.

By the end, Makiko looked amazed and said: "Wow… another case of the black shadow monsters… er, Eaters… appearing in the real world. And to think that they cause comas… that's scary." She then went on: "And to think Nishino was right… I guess we really weren't being fair with her." "Well the important thing is that she's not going to have to be a fugitive anymore. I remember Nishino being very excited to go back to living a normal life." I said. "Yeah. You don't have to tell me twice. Don't worry; the charges against her will be dropped today." Makiko said.

"That's great!" I said. Makiko then said: "Thank you, Simon. You're really pretty good at this. You've been a big help already." I grinned and said: "Thanks Makiko." Makiko then gave us payment and left the office.

I then turned to Kyoko and asked: "So… is there anything else?" "Not for now. It looks like you have some free time on your hands for the time being." Kyoko said. I grinned and said: "Alright!" and I left the office.

I then decided to train my Digimon more and headed for the terminal on the fourth floor. But on my way, I was still thinking on what Kyoko had said last night… I was just a digital entity… how horrifying… and my body was out there… but I had no idea where it was! Or how I would get back in it… ugh… it made my stomach churn just thinking about it… I didn't even want to think about it…

I then shook my head and logged into EDEN, training my Digimon for several hours. After it was over, I decided to go to the Digilab.


	20. Keisuke: Nightmares are made of this

Keisuke Chapter 11—Nightmares are made of this—

Once we returned to Hudie, we continued operating without Erika. To be honest, I was a little worried about her, although it wasn't for long—two days later, Ryuji announced that Erika was back to normal and he was going to the hospital to pick her up. I then went back to the Digilab, switching what Digimon I had with me. I took out Seadramon and Ryudamon (since they had been in the farm island for a while) and put Lekismon and Gatomon on the farm island. Once that was finished, I trained in Kowloon for a while, then went back to the Digilab to check if any of my Digimon could digivolve. Much to my delight, I saw that Lopmon and Ryudamon could! I then called them out and I went to the terminal as Ryudamon said: "What's going on, Keisuke? What are we doing out here?" "According to the terminal here, you both are ready to digivolve! So I thought I'd make it happen!" I said back. "Oh, that's great! Please do, master!" Lopmon said.

I nodded and started by digivolving Lopmon into a BlackGatomon. Lopmon then became a colorless wireframe and then reshaped into a BlackGatomon— a black cat that walked on two legs and had two arms and wore blue gloves with long black claws over her paws. She had purple fur on her ears too. She looked about 2'10 tall.

When the process concluded, I smiled and said: "Great job, BlackGatomon! Are you excited now that you've digivolved?" "Yes, master! I'm happy to be advancing so much faster, thanks to you!" she replied. I was glad to be playing a supporting role to her like this… BlackGatomon then smiled and stepped back.

And then I knew it was Ryudamon's turn. I digivolved him into a Ginryumon—a floating serpent with four legs and a long tail. He had orange skin and wore black-and-red samurai-like armor with silver parts around his head. He had silver bangles around his ankles and three long toes on each of his feet with long toenails. He also had bristles like a broom on the tip of his tail. He looked 4'1 tall. I then grinned and said: "Nice work, Ginryumon! Looks like your hard work paid off!" Ginryumon smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke! It felt easy with you and everyone else helping!" and he floated over to BlackGatomon.

I then called them back and went back to Hudie. When I got there, I decided to check if I missed anything. I went up to Chitose and said: "Hi Chitose." And then he turned to me and said: "Hey, Keisuke. What's going on?" "I just wanted to ask if Erika returned while I was away. It seemed like I was away for a bit." I said back. "Oh yes! She came back a little while ago. She's back to her normal self too! We were all really relieved." Chitose said back. Suddenly I felt embarrassed. I missed Erika's return? Of course, there was no way for me to know when she was coming back, but still… "Ooh boy… that's not going to make me look very good…" I said. "What? You're worried about not being there?" Chitose asked. I nodded and he said: "Hey, don't worry about it! Erika's flexible. She won't mind that you were doing your job." I smiled faintly and said: "Thanks, Chitose."

Our discussion then wrapped up and I went to the back of the office. I decided to go to Erika's office and check on her. I went up to her door, but as I was just about to knock, it opened! Erika was there and she said: "Oh there you are. I was just about to go looking for you. That's convenient that you came here when you did. It saves a step." "Oh, so you needed me for something, Erika?" I asked. "Sort of… there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Come in, will you?" Erika said.

I then entered her office and she sat down across from me as I did so in suit and before she could say anything, I said: "Before you get started Erika, I'm sorry I wasn't around when you came back." Erika's eyes then drooped a little and she said: "What…? You think that's bothering me? You've got to keep this in perspective, Keisuke. I don't have this expectation for you to sit around waiting for me to come back. You've got a job here, after all." I then grinned when I heard this. Not just because that was good to hear, but because it was amusing to see this play out exactly as Chitose said it would.

Erika then went on: "So don't say such silly things. Anyway, I wanted to mention something about the Eaters to you…" and I said: "Huh? What is it?" "There have supposedly been other eyewitness accounts of Eaters appearing in Kowloon and Tokyo. It looks like their sightings are on the rise… and given what Suedou said about what they can do, we shouldn't take this possibility lightly." Erika said. "So there have been more sightings? That's worrisome…" I said. "Yeah. Anyway, I thought you should know. Just remember that and keep your guard up when you're in cyberspace okay?" Erika said. I nodded and paused before Erika said: "…What? What is it? If there's something else you're wondering, just say it."

"…Erika… if I may ask, what made you collapse back in Shinjuku?" I asked. Erika sighed and paused before she said: "Well, I guess you've been with us for a while and you're a hard worker, so… okay, I'll tell you. You look like you'll be staying with us, so it might be best that you know…" I couldn't help feeling confused when I heard this… Erika then went on: "It's because of a birth defect I was born with. It's very, very rare, and it makes my brain hyperactive. I can use more of it at a time than most people can, which is part of what accounts for my ability to work faster and be so smart. But at the same time, it also takes a greater toll on my body and eventually overloads it, which makes me experience episodes like you saw at Shinjuku…"

I was really surprised when I heard this. I suppose the raised intelligence was what accounted for Erika graduating from high school years before she was old enough to even be a freshman, but to think that she experienced episodes like that regularly… "That's terrible… Erika, I'm so sorry." I said back. "It's not your fault, obviously. Thanks though." Erika replied. She then went on: "It's really a problem though… almost no one knew how to help me or could do anything about it at first… it looked hopeless, but they came up with a form of therapy at Central Hospital that reduces the burden on my brain and makes me able to function normally. It involves using the digitization of my memories as mental data, so they can copy the memories, save them and then delete them from my brain—" and then I said: "Wha—delete your memories?! That's awful!"

"In many ways it is, but because of this, I have too many to keep them all stored in my brain at once… at least they give me a say in which I keep and which I lose. Plus, I can access them in the server at any time, which helps. Ultimately I'd die without it, so it's just something I have to do." Erika said. I then looked down and Erika sounded annoyed as she said: "Rrr… enough with the long face, already! I'm almost regretting telling you this…" and then I looked up and said: "No. Thank you for talking to me—and trusting me—about this, Erika. I won't tell anyone what I learned today." "You'd better not, because that's seriously personal information. Anyway, that's enough for now—you've gotten all the information I intended to give you and more. So you'd best get back to work." Erika said. "Alright!" I said.

I then left her office and went to a cubicle before I heard a: "Looks like you're back from Erika's office…" and I turned to see it was Ryuji. "Yes, that's right." I said. "Did she tell you what you wanted to know?" Ryuji asked. I nodded and he closed his eyes before he said: "Wow… she obviously really trusts you to tell you something so personal…" He then went on: "Still, I can't help but wonder if you think less of me for how I chose to handle the issue of her frailty…" and then I said: "You wanted Erika to live a normal life, didn't you, Ryuji?"

Ryuji then looked at me and looked more attentive as I went on: "You wanted her to live a normal life, just like anyone else and for her to be seen as the same as anyone else, rather than as different. I don't know what that's like, but I think that what you did was the right thing to do. Even if removing her from the safe environment that is the hospital does have its risks, Erika isn't going to enjoy her life if she's cooped up in there all the time, nor will she have the chance to make any memories she will cherish if she's removed from the outside world. Nothing in life is without risks and that's why I think you're doing the right thing. You're being a good brother."

Ryuji then smiled and said: "Yes… that's exactly right. I did want her to be thought of as an ordinary person and get to have the same experiences as anyone else…" he then went on: "Thank you. Your intuition is right on, too." I smiled and then suddenly thought of something: I had seen Ryuji at the hospital way back when, but… not his parents. Had they not been notified? It seemed Ryuji picked up on what I was thinking though, because he said: "What? Is something else on your mind?" "Kind of… Ryuji—if I may ask, why weren't your and Erika's parents there at the hospital?" I asked. Ryuji then looked more stern before he said: "…We don't have them anymore. I take care of Erika now." "WHAT?!" I said. "Our parents died years ago in a car crash… it was really hard on us and it really tested my abilities to survive—and Erika's—but at least we came out on top." Ryuji said. "That's awful… Ryuji, I'm so sorry…" I said. "It's just the past; there's nothing more that can be done. And it obviously wasn't your fault, Keisuke. Thanks for caring though." Ryuji said.

I nodded. We then wrapped up the discussion before I went to a cubicle and checked the BBS. When I looked, I found a case from Yuuko! According to her, there was a group of scammers that had recently appeared in EDEN known as Dreamin', who have been stealing financial information of users left and right and she wanted my help breaking their group up. I took the case and then I saw the posting from Yuuko start updating… now it had a URL to the Zaxon forum where Yuuko's group was! It also had a message from Yuuko stating to come to the Zaxon forum and meet her there in person to discuss the details.

I then logged in to EDEN, going to the Zaxon forum. When I arrived, I saw it was a hall with some tamers here… I stepped forward and saw a guy in a green windbreaker with a logo that said 'Zaxon' on it and when he saw me, he said: "Whoa, whoa! What are you doing here?" "My name is Keisuke and I'm from Hudie. I took a case from Yuuko to hunt down Dreamin'. Yuuko wanted me to come here to discuss the details in person with her. Is she available?" I asked. "Hmm… wait here." The guy said. He then went further in and I waited around the forum. A few minutes later, he came back with Yuuko following and he pointed to me before Yuuko nodded and said something to him (and he took off) as she approached me.

When Yuuko came up, she smiled and said: "Hi again, Keisuke." "Hi Yuuko. It's good to see you again." I said back. Yuuko then came up and shook my hand before she said: "Thank you for taking my case. I hate it when someone disrupts the peace in EDEN…" "You take EDEN's safety seriously, huh?" I asked. Yuuko then looked more serious before she said: "Of course I do! EDEN is supposed to be a place where everyone can be free! I won't forgive anyone who tries to ruin this wonderful place!" She then shook her head and went on: "But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself… I know I told you the name of the group you're going to be targeting, but now that you're here, I can tell you more about them." "Please do." I said back.

"Dreamin's name is a fitting one, because they steal people's financial information in their sleep—" Yuuko began and then I said: "They steal people's financial information in their _sleep_? In cyberspace? How can they do that? In EDEN, we're converted into flesh data. We don't sleep when we're here." "I'll admit it sounds crazy, and even we're not too sure of the details… let me explain: they start by holding events in EDEN, and when the guests arrive, they put them to sleep and steal important financial information before they wake up. If I had to guess how, I'd say they must disrupt the visual feelings received by EDEN's virtual avatars. What I don't get is how they could hack the mental data when they're asleep… EDEN's safeguards on mental data are state of the art and almost impregnable. These people… are some dangerous customers." Yuuko said.

"So they can hack mental data? That does sound more than a little scary…" I said. "Yes… but you're going to have to try to bring them down. Fortunately, you won't have to do it alone; Fei and two other tamers headed to Under Kowloon level 1 to investigate. I want you to rendezvous with them, collect information on Dreamin' and attack them at their base." Yuuko said. "Sounds simple enough… but who is this Fei?" I asked. "Fei is a teenage girl, and my second-in-command. She wears a blue jacket with a black undershirt, black pants with a yellow sash around her waist and white shoes. She has brown hair in two buns on the top of her head." Yuuko replied. "Alright, I'll remember that. Is there anything else I should know?" I asked. "I can't think of anything right now… I'll send you a message if I do." Yuuko replied. "Okay. Then I'm off to Under Kowloon!" I said.

I then logged in to Under Kowloon level 1 and went further in… I kept looking for Zaxon tamers, but had no luck… when I arrived at the deepest part of Under Kowloon though, I found two of them! One of them was a teenage boy and the other was a teenage girl. They both were wearing Zaxon uniforms, but they were down on the ground! I ran up to them and said: "HEY! Are you two okay?" The girl then said: "Mmm… so many cats. Look at them all! I-I'm so happy…" "What?" I said. But then I realized something: The way she was acting wasn't normal… she was dreaming! And that must mean that she and this guy were attacked by Dreamin'!

I then said: "HEY! You are being scammed! WAKE UP!" The girl then said: "Ooh, what a cute one… it's so friendly too… hee-hee…" it looked like I had no choice… I slapped the girl and she said: "Oww!" and immediately woke up. Then I ran over to the boy and did the same thing. "Ahh! What was that for?!" the teenage boy said. But then he suddenly calmed down and then said: "Wait a minute… those clothes… are you from Hudie?" "Yes, that's right. Yuuko sent me to find you." I said. "HUH? Why did she want you to do that…?" the girl asked. "She wants me to take down Dreamin'. It looks like you may have found them already though…" I said and then the boy said: "That's right! It looks like they almost got us too… thanks for saving us." "No problem. Anyway, Yuuko also wanted you and Fei to help though… speaking of which, where is she?" I asked.

The girl suddenly looked flustered and then looked around before she said: "Wh-what?! Oh my gosh, Fei! Where did she go?" the boy then said: "She was with us before. She must be chasing the Dreamin' members down… or investigating. Either way, I can't see her going down that easily." The girl then said: "We were looking for the Dreamin' hideout with her, but then we ran into some suspicious people… we tried to grab them and then we had a battle, but we lost… and then you woke us up." "So she left… do either of you know her contact information?" I asked. "No. She doesn't give it out to just anyone, but Yuuko might." The boy said. "Alright then. Let me help you back to the Zaxon forum and I'll ask Yuuko there." I said. "Thank you, you're really helpful." The girl said.

We then traveled back to the entrance and logged out of Under Kowloon, returning to the Zaxon forum. The boy and girl then went back in, and after they were out of sight, I grinned and then I heard Yuuko's voice say: "I see you recovered my members… excellent." I then turned to her and said: "Yuuko!" We then approached each other and Yuuko said: "Thank you for rescuing them. It's hard to believe that we've fallen prey to their tricks now too…" "We'll have to get rid of them fast then! By the way, Yuuko…" I said, and then she looked at me as I went on: "Do you have Fei's contact information? As you can see, she wasn't with the other two." "Yes, I do." Yuuko replied.

"Can I have it? I want to know where she is." I said back. Yuuko then shook her head and said: "There'd be no point. Fei doesn't answer calls from numbers she doesn't recognize, which would naturally include yours… but I can tell you where she is. I managed to get through to her, and she's on a special forum somewhere. She suspects it's Dreamin's base—" and then I said: "Do you have the URL?" and Yuuko said: "Yes, I do. So go on and take it. Naturally, since I hired you to hunt down Dreamin', I expect you to use it and carry out your end of the bargain anyway."

She then started using her phone and I felt mine vibrate before I checked it and saw Yuuko had sent me the URL! I then said: "Of course I will! I'll be back with Fei after I give those Dreamin' losers a rude awakening!" and then Yuuko smiled and she said: "Good answer. Then I'll expect great things from you!"

I nodded and then left before I logged out. To prepare for infiltrating their server, I healed my Digimon, then I took Lekismon, Gatomon, BlueCoredramon, Ginryumon, BlueGreymon and BlackGatomon with me (leaving Kyubimon and Seadramon in the farm island) and then I left the Digilab and took the URL to Dreamin's base! When I arrived, I pulled the same trick I used in the Steam Dealers' base and used stealth hide to sneak around undetected. I climbed up to higher ground and eventually saw… a teenage girl wearing a blue jacket with a black undershirt, black pants with a yellow sash around her waist and white shoes. She had brown hair in two buns on the top of her head… it was Fei! She was staring down three formally dressed people too… one was a woman in a beige blouse and skirt with very long black hair. The other two were men in black suits and slacks. When I saw this, I dropped the stealth hide and went up to them.

Once I closed in, I heard the woman say: "Hmm?" and she, the men and Fei all turned around and when Fei saw me, she looked mad and said to me: "Who are you?! Are you their backup?!" Seeing her misunderstanding, I said: "Fei, calm down! My name is Keisuke and I'm from Hudie. Yuuko sent me to help you!" Fei's face adopted a more inquisitive expression before she said: "Yuuko sent you…?" and then she looked more relaxed before she said: "That is so like her. Still, I could have handled these losers by myself…" and then the woman said: "Who are you calling losers?"

Fei then turned to the woman and said: "This loser is the leader of Dreamin'." The woman then grinned before she said: "You're as brazen as ever, I see. But I don't think you're fully grasping the seriousness of your plight… you're outnumbered, and in our home base. The odds are hopelessly stacked against you. You're not in any position to be so confident." Fei then frowned and said: "I'm not afraid of you! And I'm certainly not going to let you get away with scamming my teammates!"

"You mean your teammates you left in the dust so you could chase us?" Dreamin's leader said. Fei suddenly looked shocked and said: "Ulp…" Dreamin's leader then smiled and said: "You try to act like a heroine, but in the end, you're just ruthless. I mean, we would have stolen their financial information if it hadn't been for some annoying passerby waking them up." I then grinned a little, but Fei was not inclined to do the same. She looked furious and said: "Grr! That's it! No more games! Now I'm going to make you pay!"

And she ran up to Dreamin's Leader, who then backed up and called out a Digimon… it looked like a specter, wearing a gray robe and a red hood. It held a sickle with a spiky ball attached to it by a chain. It had a gold pendant with an eye at the end and its face was shrouded in darkness… all I could see were its eyes. It looked 2'4 tall, although it was floating above the ground. Fei then came skidding to a full stop and Dreamin's leader smugly smiled at Fei as the specter Digimon sprayed Fei with a pink gas… it smelled sweet too… and then Fei collapsed on the ground!

"FEI!" I said as I ran to her side. And I saw it… she was sound asleep, although she was smiling widely. I then heard her say: "You… you love me?! That makes me… so happy…" I shook my head and said: "What?" I then heard Dreamin's leader say: "Heh-heh… it's no good. She's soundly locked in a sweet dream. And soon to lose her financial security. Heh-heh-heh… I'm going to look forward to draining her bank account. And speaking of which… Phantomon!" and then my head shot up as the Digimon sprayed me with the pink gas too! I then fell over…

The next thing I knew, I heard a voice… it was Erika's voice! She said: "Keisuke! Wake up, Keisuke!" My head immediately shot up and I saw I was at Hudie again, although it looked like no one else was around… I was on the floor, directly in front of the cubicle I had logged in from and Erika was down by me…

"E-Erika?!" I said. Erika then smiled and she said: "Oh, you're awake!" She then stood up and helped me up. She then went on: "I was calling you over and over, but you wouldn't wake up… but your face is so cute when you're asleep! Lazy bones!" "What are you talking about?! What happened?! And Where's Fei?!" I asked. "Oh Keisuke, don't worry so much." Erika said. I was shocked when I heard this. I said: "Wh-what?!" Erika then went on: "I'm just glad you're alright. You know, I miss you so much when you're away."

I couldn't respond when I first heard this… as soon as I could speak, I said: "Are… are you alright?" Erika then smiled and said: "Of course I am. Everything's better when you're here." "This… this is…" I began and then Erika said: "It's… what?" "…Impossible. This isn't—" I began and then Erika said: "Impossible? Why?" "…Erika isn't all warm and nice to me like you're being. She's colder than ice—" I went on and then Erika said: "Huh? Why are you suddenly referring to me in third person? After all, I'm your one and only Erika, right?"

I frowned, but then I suddenly felt dizzy! My head… it didn't feel normal. It felt like my mind was starting to get fuzzy… "Ugh!" I said as I backed up. "Keisuke? What is it?!" Erika said. "N-nothing…" I said back. "Oh good." Erika said back. She then went on: "Hey Keisuke, can you do something for me?" I then looked up and she continued: "Can you tell me your account password? If you do, I'll do anything you want."

So this was how they did it… they didn't steal the financial information from the person's mental data directly, but rather tempted the person into disclosing it voluntarily in a dream they created… that was how they got it… even so, they'd have to steal _some_ mental data to figure out how to tempt someone… these people were dangerous… but then, so was my situation right now… it looks like they've figured out that they can't get me to fall for this façade, so now Phantomon is trying to weaken my mind, my ability to think, in order to make me slip up… if I don't do anything quickly, my mind is probably going to keep getting weaker and weaker until I give it up anyway… I'm going to have to make the first move… before I lose my ability to think clearly…

"My account password… of course. It's… Polyphemus." I said. "Polyphemus… okay, got it!" Erika said. She then took my arm and said: "Now let's go! I can't wait to start spending more time with you—" and then I heard the sound of the Dreamin' members and Phantomon's laughter in the background as I woke up.

When I came to, the leader of Dreamin' said: "Thanks for your password, sucker." And she turned around and brought up a screen of data, like Erika had in Kowloon, doubtlessly to try using the password. I ignored her and turned to Fei, who was still smiling in her sleep. In a moment, I heard Dreamin's leader say: "…What?! No! It didn't work?!" "Uggh… you pinhead, did you even read the password?" I asked. "Well sure, it said 'Polyphemus'… why?" she asked. "Don't you read any great literature? Polyphemus is the name of the stupid, gullible cyclops in the Odyssey—written by Homer—Who Odysseus tricks, blinds and then subsequently escapes from. That being said, I hardly think I need to point out the delicious layer of irony that is present here." I said.

"Shut up! Grr—to think someone actually saw through one of Phantomon's illusions and gave a fake password…" Dreamin's leader said. "But I did. And if you try to do it again, I'll give you another one… as many times as you want." I said back. "Hmph! I suppose we have no choice but to teach you some respect the old-fashioned way then." Dreamin's leader said. "Heh-heh… so be it. I won't run away or hide. But first…" I said and then I turned to Fei, who was still smiling in her sleep and she said: "Hee-hee… oh no, please, just tell me one more time—" and then I pinched her nostrils shut. Fei then started to bat at my fingers, but I kept a firm hold until she shot up, coughing and gasping for air.

Fei then turned to me and said: "K-Keisuke?! What…?" and then I said: "Welcome back, Fei. I do hope you didn't tell Phantomon any important information while you were dreaming?" Fei then looked surprised and said: "What?! So what I saw… was actually…?!" and then she looked down and said: "I see. I'm glad I didn't give out any personal information then…" She then stood up and turned to Dreamin's leader before she said: "AND YOU! You're going to pay dearly for that!" she then called out her Digimon and said: "Everyone, it's time! Show no mercy!" "Heh-heh… you children shouldn't underestimate us grown-ups…" Dreamin's leader said. "Yes Polyphemus…" I said back.

Dreamin's leader actually smiled after I said this and looked at me before she said: "Ah, it's too bad we must be enemies… you could have been a great business partner, if only you weren't such a goody-goody… but oh well. I'll command your respect through fear then, instead! A battle where the last side standing wins is simple enough for us!"

Fei then went to one of the men in black before Dreamin's Leader approached me with Phantomon in tow and said: "Show me what you've got, boy." I then felt my phone vibrate and I took it out. It said: "Phantomon scan data: 10%." It also said Phantomon was a virus Digimon, so I called out Gatomon, BlueCoredramon and Ginryumon. Even though Phantomon was digivolved to a higher level than my Digimon, with three who were advantaged, I felt I didn't have anything to fear. Dreamin's Leader then started off by saying: "Phantomon, destruction! Target Ginryumon!" and Phantomon took the back of his sickle and slammed it into Ginryumon, yet it didn't do much of anything…

"Gatomon, hit him with holy light 2! BlueCoredramon, use blue flare breath!" I said. Gatomon then said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light emerge where Phantomon was. After the explosion, Phantomon looked like he took it pretty hard! BlueCoredramon then said: "Blue flare breath!" and breathed blue flames at Phantomon. Ginryumon then said: "Heavy strike 2!" and stuck Phantomon with his claws.

"Phantomon, use soul chopper on Gatomon!" the leader of Dreamin' said. Phantomon then floated at Gatomon and said: "Soul chopper!" and swung his sickle at her, hard! Even though Gatomon was advantaged against him, she still looked pretty hurt by this attack… "BlueCoredramon, use blue flare breath again! Ginryumon, use metal armor blade! Gatomon, get ready to block!" I said. BlueCoredramon then breathed flames at Phantomon again before Ginryumon said: "Metal armor blade!" and spat a spear at Phantomon!

Phantomon was already starting to look beat after this and Dreamin's leader said: "Phantomon, give Ginryumon another taste of destruction!" Phantomon then said: "Destruction!" and struck at Ginryumon again… and this time Ginryumon fell over and wouldn't get up! "What the… Ginryumon?!" I said. Dreamin's leader then grinned before she said: "Destruction is an attack that will rarely defeat a foe instantly. Didn't you know? Oh my…" Ginryumon then groaned and said: "Rrr… how humiliating…" "We'll get him back, Ginryumon." I said.

I then called Ginryumon back and sent in BlueGreymon. I then said: "Alright, give him everything you've got! Gatomon, use holy light 2! BlueGreymon, use bit fire! BlueCoredramon, use wind claw 2!" BlueCoredramon then said: "Wind claw 2!" and raked Phantomon with his claws before BlueGreymon said: "Bit fire!" and spat three fireballs at Phantomon. Finally, Gatomon said: "Holy light 2!" and created that shining, exploding cross again. After they attacked, Phantomon collapsed and wouldn't get up!

My Digimon then celebrated and Dreamin's Leader looked shocked. I then grinned and turned to Fei. It looked like her battle was over… and she was berating her opponent. When she finished, we all looked up and Fei grinned and said: "Two against one. I certainly like those odds!" "So who's going to fight him then?" I asked. "Since you're Digimon are younger than mine, I'll do it. Allow me to show you how it's done!" Fei said.

She certainly had a knack for being blunt, but I didn't mind. Fei then called out her Digimon and easily beat down the other tamer's team. When it was over, Fei smiled and said: "Ha! And there you have it! Knowing you, I'll bet you must find your loss pretty shameful, with us outnumbered and all that." The leader of Dreamin' scowled and said: "Grr… how dare you interfere with us!" "It's the fate of someone who defiles EDEN. Now let's go—you're going to pay now." Fei said. She then walked towards the leader of Dreamin', but as she did, Phantomon forced himself up and floated in between Fei and his tamer.

"And to think you have that special kind of soulless nerve to make your Digimon shield you… I can't say that surprises me though." Fei said. "Hee-hee… that's where you're wrong. I never made Phantomon do anything… not before and not even now… he has always acted out of his own free will." Dreamin's leader said. "That's ridiculous! If what you say is true, that would mean Phantomon supported your use of him to hypnotize people!" I said.

"Supported? Ha! You think Phantomon was an unwilling accomplice in all this…? Well what if I told you he was the architect of our little group's trade? That he was the one who suggested we use his powers to steal the money of all the stupid, gullible fools lurking in EDEN?" Dreamin's leader said. I was shocked when I heard this… Fei then said: "Digimon are programs! They don't have free will! You must think we're stupid." "That's not entirely true… after all, the boy is clearly well-educated and has excellent problem-solving skills under pressure. And look at that dumbfounded look on his face now—the fact that that's his reaction to what I said clearly demonstrates that he understands the creatures he's with. I'd say he's actually pretty smart. If it's you we're talking about though, then yes, I think you're stupid. This isn't the first time you've embarrassed yourself in front of us, after all…" Dreamin's leader said.

I wasn't sure how to receive her compliments… Fei looked furious though and said: "That's enough! I'm tired of hearing you insult me and seeing you smirking off your ugly face—" and then Dreamin's leader then said: "Why not? Surely you must be able to see how I would get annoyed at dealing with a caricature of a heroine whose brain hasn't caught up with her body. I like dealing with a good enemy if they're smart… but you just don't fall into that category."

Fei then looked enraged and said: "THAT'S IT! TigerVespamon, cut them down!" and then one of her Digimon like a giant, bipedal wasp with two bright blue lances stepped forward and skewered Phantomon and struck the leader of Dreamin' in one quick move. The leader of Dreamin' vanished as soon as she was stricken, while Phantomon recoiled. TigerVespamon then threw Phantomon to the ground and TigerVespamon and Fei's other Digimon ganged up on him until he was vaporized… When it ended, Fei turned around and saw the other Dreamin' members. They looked horrified… Fei then said: "Well what are _you_ dweebs looking at?! You'd better run if you don't want to end up like them!"

The other members then squealed and ran away. Fei then shook her head and said: "Tch…" before she turned to me and said: "Well good work back there. I wouldn't have guessed it looking at you at first, but… you're pretty reliable." I smiled and said: "Thank you, Fei." "Too bad you're already in a hacker team… we could use someone like you. But that doesn't change anything, does it? Come on, Keisuke—let's report to Yuuko. She'll be happy to hear of our success." Fei said. She then started walking off, but I couldn't follow her… not after the extraordinary brutality that she had committed against the leader of Dreamin'… Fei then turned around and said: "Hmm? What is it?"

"…Fei. You had TigerVespamon wipe out Phantomon, but… what about the leader of Dreamin'?" I asked. Fei then looked disgusted and she said: "Ah! Don't tell me you suddenly care about her now?!" "No. But at the same time, isn't her death a punishment that's going too far?" I asked. "She's not dead! I just destroyed her avatar so she could never log in again. She'll still be alive on Earth, but she has no place in EDEN… anymore." Fei replied. "Oh, I see…" I said. "So are you satisfied now? Good. Let's get back to the Zaxon forum then." Fei said.

We then returned to the Zaxon forum and Fei went to get Yuuko. In a few moments, they came out and Yuuko said: "Alright, it looks like you're back. I'm happy to see that. So did you…?" and then Fei said: "Yup. We taught them a lesson they won't forget!" Yuuko then smiled and said: "Great! You both did a great job. Now EDEN's safer, thanks to you." I smiled and said: "No problem. It's a pleasure to help out—I love my work!" Yuuko still was smiling and said: "I'm glad you're so devoted. We hired the right guy. I hope I can count on you if I need more help, Keisuke—we could use help from someone like you." "Of course! You can send in a case anytime!" I said. Yuuko then smiled and said: "Good. I'll send your payment very soon. Until then, take care on your way home." "Thank you, Yuuko." I said back.

I then left, logged out and went back to Hudie. It had been one heck of a day, but at least it was eventful and full of accomplishments!


	21. Simon: The underground lab

Simon Chapter 10—The underground lab—

When I arrived in the Digilab, I greeted Mirei and checked to see if my Digimon could digivolve… but none of them could. I prepared to leave to resume training, but then I decided to check to see if I could digiconvert any Digimon… and saw I had plenty of options! I decided to digiconvert a Botamon. When it hatched, I stroked it and said: "Welcome to the world, buddy! I'm Simon. It's good to have you here!" and Botamon smiled back. Now I had more Digimon than I could contain in my phone, so I put Sabrina and Zachary into the farm island and took my remaining Digimon out to train.

After some time passed, I returned to the Digilab to see if Botamon could digivolve. I was happy when I saw it could! I then digivolved it into a Wanyamon—a small cat Digimon with no arms or legs… it had cyan fur with navy blue stripes, a white chin, two ears and a tail attached to the back of its head. It looked 8 inches tall. When I saw this, I said: "Alright, Wanyamon! You've already digivolved to a higher level! Congratulations!" Wanyamon then smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. I'll keep working my hardest to digivolve again!" and then I called him back before I went out to train him again.

After a while longer, I returned to the Digilab to see if he could digivolve again… and he was ready! I then digivolved him into a Kudamon. Once the process was complete, I said: "Great going! You digivolved again and in record time!" Kudamon then grinned and said: "That was lucky, but I know digivolving will get harder… but I'm still going to do my best!" Now that Kudamon was old enough, I thought it might be time to give him a proper name too. When I mentioned this to him, he seemed fine with it. We determined his name would be 'Jason'. We then left the Digilab.

After another trip to train, I once again checked to see if Jason could digivolve… and he could! But much to my surprise, Daisy could too! I then called them out and Jason then said: "Ah, Simon. Am I going to be digivolving again?" "That's right! And so is Daisy!" I said. Daisy then grinned and said: "Great! Let's make it happen!" I nodded and we got started.

I began by digivolving Daisy into a Togemon— a giant cactus Digimon with two arms (and ones that had big red boxing gloves on the ends), two legs and a sprig of some kind of pale orange grass growing on top of her head. She had two eyes and a mouth that were all just holes in her face. She was taller than me now at 7'2. When I saw this, I said: "Congratulations, Daisy! You've really grown too, and not just to the champion level either!" She then chuckled and said: "So I noticed. Everything looks different from up high here… I didn't think I'd be in for such a growth spurt. Thanks though—I know it'll be good for me!" "That's the spirit! Get everything you can out of your digivolution!" Jason said. Daisy grinned at him and then I said: "Speaking of which, it's time for yours, Jason. Let's get it started!" Jason nodded and I got started.

I digivolved Jason into a Reppamon—he now walked on four legs and had tan-colored fur and brown fur around his feet. He had a white-and-orange ribbon-like adornment around his neck and a white-and-orange mask with no eye holes covering his eyes and nose… he had a white mane and cyan-colored flaps of hair coming out of the sides of his head. He also had a sword for a tail abstractly shaped like a 'z' with an eye on either side… he looked 3'5 tall. When the process was finished, I said: "Great job, Jason! You're well on your way now!" Jason smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon. It's pretty cool getting to digivolve so many times so fast! I'll keep doing what I can until I digivolve again!" "I like your attitude, Jason! We'll all keep up the good work!" I said. I then called them back and put Pepper and Scott in the farm island (and added Sabrina and Zachary back to my phone) before I decided to return to Kyoko's office to see if any new cases had come in.

When I arrived at Kyoko's office, she looked up and I said: "Hi Kyoko. Have any new cases come in yet?" "As a matter of fact, one has! And this time it's another big one too—our client is a government agency!" Kyoko said. "Wow! What did they want us to do?" I asked. "In order to explain that, I'm going to have to put something about Broadway into context first." Kyoko said. She then went on: "Since you've only been involved with Broadway for a couple of weeks, you wouldn't know this Simon, but there's an underground underpass beneath Broadway known as the 'Nakano Underpass'. It supplies electric equipment and water pipes to make things easier for the inhabitants. That's where this case is going to take place. Now with that having been said, in that underpass there is a gateway that is password protected, but the thing is… the gate has stopped letting anyone in. Groaning sounds have also been heard behind it, and so the agency expected criminal activity, which is what brought this case to us." "I see. Wow…" I said.

Then I went on: "Well that doesn't exactly sound like it'll be easy, but that will just make it that much more fun to solve!" Kyoko then grinned and said: "Heh-heh. That's my assistant for you. It looks like you're really getting into this, Simon." "Of course! But that still leaves the important question: how do I get in the underpass?" I asked. "Don't worry about that—I'll be supervising you for this case, so we're going together. I'll show you where it is." Kyoko said. "Ah, I see. Thank you, Kyoko." I said. "Not a problem. Now then, are you ready, Simon?" Kyoko asked. "Of course! Let's get going!" I said.

Kyoko then took me to the underpass from within Broadway and when we arrived, it was a dimly lit room with electrical equipment all around us. Kyoko then lead me over to a wall with a door and a small terminal on the wall. Kyoko then said: "This is the device which has stopped letting anyone in, even if they put the correct password in." then she went on: "With your unique situation, I was hoping you could connect jump in and examine it from the inside to see what's wrong with it." "Oh-ho! I like your thinking Kyoko! All right, let's give this a shot!" I said. I then managed to successfully connect jump into the device!

I looked over my surroundings and saw I was in a greenish-blue and black space with many platforms to walk on… I headed further in and came to a teleportation pad and took it and ended up coming to an intersection where there were two odd square plates on the ground, one to the far left and another to the far right, and a clear gate that had clear walls next to it (and very tall ones at that) and another teleportation pad behind it. I walked up to the gate and pushed on it, but it wouldn't budge. It looks like it's going to take more than strength to move it… I then went back and re-examined the plates. One had a yellow tag-shaped projection coming out of it, and the other had no projection. That looked interesting… but then I remembered: Mirei had taught me about a hacking skill called 'copy and paste', which was one that involved plates like these. According to Mirei, you had to start by going to a 'host plate' that had a color and copy that color data, then you go to a plate that has nothing projected and then you would 'paste' the data to make it that color. Of course, in order to use 'copy and paste' you needed a vaccine Digimon, but I had Jason, so I was good to go!

I went up to the plate that was projecting a yellow image and squeezed my hand as I used it. Nothing happened though and I wasn't sure what to make of this… of course, it could just be that I needed to paste the data, so I went over to the other plate and squeezed my hand to use it… and it worked! The other plate projected a yellow tag-shaped projection! I then heard something and turned around and saw the gate was opening! "Alright!" I said.

Once the gate was opened, I walked on through and took the teleportation pad and found myself back with Kyoko in front of the door. Kyoko then said: "It's good to see you made it back. So how did it go?" "It's possible I may have fixed it… Kyoko, do you know the combination? It might be worth trying to see if it works again." I said. "Yes I do. Alright, I'm on it." Kyoko said. She then went over to the terminal and entered it and then the door flew open!

At this point, we may have celebrated if it weren't for what we saw next—behind the door, there was a passageway that had been affected by a digital shift! "Whaaaat?! How did a digital shift come through here?!" I said. "Digital… shift?" Kyoko said. "Oh, it's a greater kind of digital wave." I said. "Ah, okay. But yes, this is quite a mystery… I wasn't expecting to see this behind here…" Kyoko said. She then went on: "I'm afraid I have no idea how this is possible. It sure looks unnatural, but even so, we should investigate further in to see if there is a criminal element to this. It would be negligent to do otherwise."

I then looked down. A digital wave meant there had to be an Eater here… and if Kyoko went in, she would be at risk of being 'kissed' by one… "Kyoko, if it's okay, I would like to carry the rest of this investigation on my own." I said. Kyoko looked a little surprised as she said: "My, what an unusual request. I know you're very capable Simon, but why this all of a sudden?" "Remember? Eaters always cause digital shifts. That being said, since a digital shift has overcome this area, there will be an Eater inside, and if you go in, it may 'kiss' you, like the one in Akihabara did all of those victims…" I said. "Of course I remember that. But even then, that's a risk I'm willing to take. Even if Eaters are becoming more common because of these digital shifts, I can't let them stop me from doing my job as a cyber sleuth." Kyoko said. I smiled and said: "Alright… then let's go."

We then proceeded further in. We investigated some tunnels that were surprisingly empty, but soon when we got further in, a group of Digimon jumped us! One was a walrus-like Digimon with two gigantic tusks coming out of its mouth, a horn on its head and it was covered with a coat of white fur. It looked 8'2 tall. The next was a dog Digimon with four legs, a long tail and a baby blue and white fur coat. It looked 4 feet tall. The last looked like a magician—it walked on two legs and had two arms and a pointy hat. It was also wearing a white and teal shirt and pants and a tattered cape of the same color, as well as some tan boots and tan gloves covering its hands. It had a staff that looked like an ice crystal on a rod and had its mouth covered by a white cloth covering and had tan hair in a ponytail. It looked 4'7 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Ikkakumon scan data: 15%, Garurumon scan data: 15%, Sorcerimon scan data: 15%". It said that all three were vaccine Digimon, so I called out Sabrina, Daisy and Larry.

I then said: "Sabrina, give yourself a boost! Daisy, hit 'em with needle spray!" and Sabrina said: "Mental charge!" and boosted her damage output with magic attacks and her damage resistance to magic attacks. Daisy then said: "Needle spray!" and she sent thorns flying from her body to bombard all of our enemies at once! Sorcerimon then said: "Mirror reflection!" and cast a spell on himself, but I didn't see any immediate effect… Ikkakumon then said: "Ocean wave!" and caused a big wave of water to form in front of his side and come crashing into all of my Digimon! Larry then said: "Tail hammer!" and swung his tail at Garurumon. Garurumon then recovered and said: "Grand rock 2!" and caused a boulder to appear where Larry was standing and explode seconds later.

Ikkakumon then said: "Harpoon torpedo!" and shot his horn at Sabrina, which split into pieces, revealing a small missile inside of it, which crashed into Sabrina! She didn't take it too hard though. Daisy then said: "Crescent leaf 2!" and hit Sorcerimon with those sharp-edged leaves—he took it really hard too! Sabrina joined in and attacked with a burst flame 2, causing a fiery explosion where Sorcerimon was… but as soon as the flames were gone, he swiftly leapt at Sabrina and clubbed her on the head with his rod before he ran back! "Huh? How'd he react to that so fast…?" I asked. "Maybe it was from Sabrina using a magic attack… after all, when Daisy used crescent leaf 2, he sure didn't retaliate…" Larry said. He actually had a point… I guess I'd better be careful of what attack I use on Sorcerimon… Sorcerimon then stood though, but he looked ready to drop, so I decided to finish him off.

I then said: "Larry, use awesome quake!" and Larry said: "Awesome quake!" and the ground really started to shake before he caused a giant boulder to form in between all of the enemy Digimon and it shattered, raining down shards of rock seconds later. Sorcerimon then fell down… and wouldn't get back up! Garurumon then said: "Fox fire!" and breathed blue flames at Daisy.

I then said: "Sabrina, give yourself another boost! Larry, hit Garurumon with tail hammer!" Sabrina then said: "Mental charge!" and boosted the effects of and stacked the duration of her previous boost. Larry then said: "Tail hammer!" and smacked Garurumon with his tail. Garurumon then said: "Grand rock 2!" and attacked Larry again. Daisy then followed up and said: "Needle spray!" and sent thorns flying at Garurumon and Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon then gave me a nasty surprise though… he said: "Heal!" and restored some of Garurumon's health!

"So that's how we're going to do things, eh…? Fine. Sabrina, Daisy, attack Garurumon! Use burst flame 2 and crescent leaf 2!" and they did so. Garurumon then attacked Larry again with grand rock 2 and Ikkakumon said: "Heal—" before I said: "Oh no you don't! Larry, shock him!" and Larry said: "Shock!" and leapt at Ikkakumon and swiped at him with his claws. Ikkakumon then fell down and looked dazed. It worked!

"Daisy, finish Garurumon off! Needle spray!" I said. Daisy then did so and hit them both… and Garurumon was down after the attack! Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and burned Ikkakumon with fire before Larry hit him with a tail hammer—and he was down too! We won!

After the battle was over, I said: "Good work guys. You really pulled us through that in the end!" "Darn right! We did a great job keeping them off balance!" Daisy said. "Hmm… They were easy enough. Good job to you too, Simon—you were a good tactician." Sabrina said. "Yeah, they were no match for us." Larry said. Kyoko grinned and said: "Those are some nice Digimon you have there, Simon."

Sabrina, Daisy and Larry then turned to her and Daisy said: "Come to think of it… who's she?" "This is Kyoko. She's my supervisor and mentor as a cyber sleuth." I said. "So you're Simon's boss? That's impressive! It's nice to meet you!" Daisy said and Sabrina and Larry nodded along. Kyoko grinned and said: "It's a pleasure to meet you all too." We all grinned for a moment and then we proceeded further in.

We kept going through the tunnels until we came across some more Digimon. One looked like an enormous, floating sea serpent—it had an aquamarine colored back and white underbelly, with some aquamarine colored flippers. Its head had two eyes, a mouth and a yellow-orange helmet-like cover over the upper half of its head. It looked 8 feet tall.

Another one was a Kyubimon like Sabrina and the last Digimon was a giant roadrunner Digimon with a yellow scarf and goggles above its eyes. It had purple, white and mahogany feathers, two long, powerful legs, two wings and a beak. It looked 4'2 tall.

I felt my phone vibrate and I took it out. It said: "Left to right: Seadramon scan data: 15%, Kyubimon scan data: 15%, Peckmon scan data: 15%". It said Seadramon and Kyubimon were data Digimon, while Peckmon was a vaccine Digimon, so I called out Elena, Daisy and Sabrina. I then said: "Daisy, Sabrina, hit Peckmon with crescent leaf 2 and burst flame 2! Elena, hit Peckmon with your lightning paw!" and Daisy said: "Crescent leaf 2!" and caused a bunch of sharp-edged leaves to slash Peckmon. Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused a fiery explosion with Peckmon at the epicenter. When the leaves and flames were gone, Elena leapt at Peckmon and said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at him with her claws.

Remarkably enough, these three hits caused Peckmon to go down! I could see my clever planning in using Elena's lightning paw worked great—normally a virus Digimon like her couldn't do very much damage to a vaccine enemy like Peckmon, but Elena's lightning paw never fluctuated in how much damage it did (not even against an advantaged target), which paid off big time here! The Kyubimon looked frustrated though, and she said: "Panic wisp!" and sent a small wisp of red fire flying at Elena and burned her. Elena then looked flustered. Seadramon then followed up and said: "Hydro water 2!" and sprayed Sabrina with a forceful stream of water.

Elena then ran over to Daisy and swiped at her with her claws before I said: "That's enough friendly fire. Sabrina, cure Elena!" and Sabrina said: "anti-panic!" and cast a spell on Elena that healed her health and removed the panic status condition! Kyubimon then said: "Panic wisp!" and this time targeted Sabrina with it and Sabrina looked flustered… Seadramon then said: "Ice blast!" and coughed up a giant icicle, which hit Daisy! Daisy then got up and said: "Needle spray!" and bombarded Kyubimon and Seadramon with thorns!

"Elena, hit Kyubimon with power energy 2! Daisy, hit Kyubimon with crescent leaf 2!" I said. Elena then said: "Power energy 2!" and caused an explosion of gray energy to engulf Kyubimon. Daisy followed up with her sharp-edged leaves. Kyubimon looked worn out now and said: "Panic wisp!" and sent another wisp of red fire at Elena and burned her. Not again… Seadramon then said: "Hydro water 2!" and sprayed Sabrina with a forceful stream of water. Elena then ran up to Daisy and swiped at her with her claws before Sabrina went up to Seadramon and rammed into him!

I then said: "Daisy, it's time to finish off Kyubimon! Use crescent leaf 2!" and Daisy said: "Crescent leaf 2!" and slashed at Kyubimon with sharp-edged leaves… and she went down! Just in time too… Elena then attacked Daisy (and Sabrina attacked Elena) before Seadramon said: "Ice blast!" and he coughed up icicles that hit Sabrina. I then said: "Alright, it's time for him to get a taste of status conditions! Daisy, ripping net!" and Daisy said: "Ripping net!" and she began to crackle with electricity as she ran up to Seadramon and punched him. He then looked in pain after that—he was paralyzed! Sabrina then hit Elena again (while Elena hit Daisy) and Seadramon tried to get up to attack, but then he fell back down again!

Luckily, Sabrina was back to normal after that, so I said: "Daisy, attack with crescent leaf 2! Sabrina, heal Elena with anti-panic!" and Sabrina said: "Anti-panic!" and healed Elena from the panic status condition. Daisy then attacked with a flurry of sharp-edged leaves. I then said: "Elena, get him with power energy 2!" and Elena said: "Power energy 2!" and followed up with an explosion of gray energy to engulf Seadramon. Seadramon still couldn't move though, so Elena said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at Seadramon with her claws and he was down!

"Great job everyone!" I said. "Thank you, Simon." Elena said. "Yeah! We did a good job to get that done all by ourselves." Daisy said. "Naturally. I have to say though, that was some good work you did attacking, Elena—you really did some damage." Sabrina said. Elena then smiled and said: "Thank you. Truth be told though, I really appreciated how you healed me from that panic state though, Sabrina. You were a lot more helpful than I was strong." "Helpful? I couldn't even stop that Kyubimon from sending me into madness…" Sabrina said. "No need to be so modest, Sabrina! You were a big help! Just take a compliment!" I said. Daisy, Elena and I then laughed while Sabrina looked around at us before chuckling along.

Then we kept on going. Eventually, we came to a long path ahead. We all walked up it—before another group of Digimon jumped out at us! It was a group of a Garurumon, a Seadramon and another Digimon—it looked like a small snail-like Digimon in a shell. Its shell was tan with pale pink stripes and its body that came out of the shell had yellow-green skin, two small feet, a mouth and two eyes on stalks. It looked 1 foot tall. This group had one vaccine member, one data member and one virus member, making them a well-rounded bunch. I decided it would be wise to start eliminating Digimon first, so I sent in Jason, Sabrina and Elena.

I then said: "Elena, attack Garurumon with lightning paw! Sabrina, back her up with burst flame 2!" Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and leapt at Garurumon and swiped at him with her paws. Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where Garurumon was. He already was looking pretty tired too! He then said: "Fox fire!" and spat a stream of blue flame at Elena. Elena got up (although she took it pretty hard) and Seadramon then said: "Hydro water 2!" and hit Sabrina with a forceful stream of water. ShellNumemon then said: "Guard break!" and cast a spell on Sabrina to reduce her damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Jason then said: "Razor wind!" and he curled up into a ball and rolled at ShellNumemon and struck at him three times with his sword tail, although it didn't seem to do that much, even with his advantage…

I then said: "Sabrina, finish Garurumon off! Use Burst flame 2! Elena, use power energy 2 on Seadramon!" and Sabrina said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where Garurumon was and when the flames cleared, he was on his side and wouldn't get up—he was down! Elena then said: "Power energy 2!" and hit Seadramon hard with an explosion of gray energy. ShellNumemon then said: "Ice archery!" and conjured an icicle and sent it flying at Sabrina… and she couldn't get up after getting hit! "Sabrina!" I said. "Urgh… how humiliating…" Sabrina said. "Don't feel bad Sabrina—you've been through a lot of battles. You did a great job every step of the way too. Leave the rest to the others." I said. I then called her back and sent in Zachary.

I then said: "Elena, attack Seadramon again! Grand rock 2!" and Elena said: "Grand rock 2!" and made a giant boulder form where Seadramon was and it burst moments later. Seadramon then said: "Ice blast!" and coughed up icicles at Jason. "Jason, use razor wind on ShellNumemon! Zachary, use grand rock 2 on him too!" I said. Jason then rolled up and attacked ShellNumemon again, while Zachary made another boulder explode to attack ShellNumemon. It looked a bit more effective than Jason's razor wind though! ShellNumemon then said: "Idle bubble!" and sent a bubble flying at Elena. She recovered from the hit easily—but she fell asleep immediately thereafter!

Seadramon then followed through and said: "Ice blast!" and attacked Jason again… "Jason, heal everyone up! Aura! Zachary, slam Seadramon with a tail hammer!" I said. Zachary then said: "Tail hammer!" and hit Seadramon with his tail hard. Seadramon even fell down and looked dazed when Zachary was done! Jason then said: "Aura!" and cast a healing spell that restored all of my Digimons' health! ShellNumemon then said: "Guard break!" and cast that same spell to reduce Elena's damage resistance to non-magic attacks.

I then had Jason and Zachary attack ShellNumemon, and Seadramon looked too dazed to move too! ShellNumemon tried to use idle bubble on Jason, but he merely sidestepped the bubble. After that, I said: "Jason, use shining laser! Zachary, hit ShellNumemon with grand rock 2!" and Zachary did so before Jason said: "Shining laser!" and the floor beneath Seadramon and ShellNumemon turned a bright yellow color before pillars of yellow light shot up from it and hit them both! ShellNumemon fell on his side and withdrew into his shell—he was down! Seadramon then retaliated with an ice blast on Jason. From there, it was only a matter of time, blocking and healing until Elena woke up and she massacred Seadramon with a power energy 2!

"Good job everybody!" I said. "Yeah! We did it!" Jason said. "Yeah, we did… there were definitely some bumps in the road there, but we came out on top!" Elena said. "Well that's how some of these things go; not all trips to a worthwhile destination are smooth ones." Zachary said. "Well said, Zachary! Now come on—we've got more ground to cover!" I said. We then pressed on, but what came next was unexpected: we stepped into a giant room with odd machinery!

"What? What is all this machinery doing here…?" I asked. Kyoko looked very surprised and said: "Wait a minute… could this be… the Roppongi underground research lab?!" "Huh? Wait… you know what this place is, Kyoko?" I asked. "Yes. It's a research laboratory used by Kamishiro Enterprises. I've heard it played a role in their development of mental data…" she replied. I then turned to the machinery and said: "Whoa…" Kyoko then said: "Still, I never expected it would be connected directly to Broadway…" then she turned to me and said: "Simon—let's get out of here and head back. I think we've seen enough." I nodded and said: "I agree. It's not worth risking provoking Kamishiro… or the Eater." Kyoko smiled and said: "Exactly. For now, just keep this in the back of your mind, okay?" I nodded and we headed back.

We eventually made it back to the door that previously wouldn't work and Kyoko reentered the password to open it. We then headed back to Kyoko's office and explained to a representative of the agency that was our client what happened the next day. The meeting was long and difficult from all the explaining we had to do, but at least it got done… once it was over, I went back to the Digilab.


	22. Keisuke: What Digimon need

Keisuke Chapter 12—What Digimon need—

The next day I went into Hudie and checked to see if there were any new cases… but none had come up. I guess I'll have some downtime for a while… I then decided to spend it training my Digimon. I then prepared to go to Kowloon, but then I thought of something else—it had been a while since I had last digiconverted a Digimon. Maybe I had enough scan data to do it again… I then went to the Digilab instead to check. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and then went to the terminal in the lower-right hand corner. I checked the amount of scan data I had accumulated and saw that I did!

I then decided to digiconvert a Botamon. An egg appeared before me and within moments, the Botamon started hatching and breaking down the walls of the egg—and soon it broke out! When I saw it, I smiled and picked it up as I said: "Welcome to the world, pal! I'm Keisuke. It's nice to meet you!" Botamon then smiled and I switched my Digimon out so I could fit it into my phone. I added Botamon, Kyubimon, BlueGreymon, Gatomon, Ginryumon and Lekismon to my phone (and left BlueCoredramon, BlackGatomon and Seadramon in the farm island) and went out to Kowloon to train.

After a little while, I came back to the Digilab and checked to see if Botamon could digivolve… and I saw it could! I chose to digivolve it into a Wanyamon. When the process finished, I said: "Great job digivolving, Wanyamon! You're doing a great job already!" Wanyamon then smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke! I'm glad to hear that! I'll keep doing my best!" and he hopped over to us before I went back out to resume his training.

A little while later, I came back and checked again to see if Wanyamon could digivolve. Luckily, he was able to again! I then digivolved him into a Dorumon—a humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs and was covered in fur. His underbelly, nose, ankles and the end of his tail were all covered with white fur, while the rest of his body was covered with purple fur. He had two arms with three claws and he had long toenails on his feet. He had two ears, two black, leathery wings and a red triangle on his head. He looked 2'10 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Great job, Dorumon! You're on a real growth spurt to digivolve so fast!" Dorumon then smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke! I'll keep getting strong too—I want to keep getting better so I can be cool like you when I grow up!" I smiled when I heard this. No one had called me cool ever since I had gotten my account stolen… it was actually pretty nice to hear someone say that. Dorumon was really nice to say something like that, especially so early in our relationship… "Thank you, Dorumon. That's a really nice compliment you gave me and I'll try to live up to it!" I said. Dorumon grinned and then came back over to us.

When that ended, I logged out. Now that Dorumon was up to the rookie level, I felt ready to check if there were any new cases again, so I went to one of the cubicles to check. On my way though, I felt my phone ring. I checked it… and saw it was K calling. I couldn't help feeling really, really annoyed after he had led me on two wild goose chases, first with Youji, then again with Tooru… I let the phone vibrate until it stopped, and as soon as it did, I went in and blocked K's number. I was done being played for a fool by him. As far as I was concerned, he'd have to find other ways to entertain himself.

I then went back to checking for any new cases. Luckily, I saw there was one… but much to my surprise, this one had been posted by Digimon! It was two Digimon, one called Sistermon Ciel and the other called Sistermon Blanc, living in Kowloon… they said they wanted a guest instructor to help them train up customers in their training gym. I hadn't heard of the gym these Digimon were running, but it sounded fun, so I took the case. It said the gym was in Kowloon level 3, so I hurried over.

I went into Kowloon level 3 looking for the gym, but I didn't find anything for quite a while… it wasn't until I got into the deepest part of Kowloon level 3 that I saw it—it was an open space with a mat on the floor and had some training equipment scattered around… there was also an obstacle course in the back. I also saw two Digimon there… they both looked like nuns, but one was taller than the other. The taller one had two pistols and an odd blue hood that looked like a mouse over her head. She looked quite young and wore white clothing consisting of nun-like headgear, a white long-sleeve shirt, a white skirt, long white socks and black shoes. She had short dark blue hair coming out of the sides of her headgear and looked 4'7 tall.

The other one was shorter (and looked even younger) and had a pink hood like a rabbit over her nun-like headgear, a white long-sleeved shirt, a white skirt, and had white boots. She had long brown hair and looked 3'3 tall. She was also holding a gold trident. I then approached them and said: "Good morning! Is this the training gym?"

The two nun-like Digimon then turned to me and then the taller one said: "That's right! Welcome! By the by, are you the tamer we hired? Or are you a student who has come to train at our gym?" "Yes, I am the tamer from Hudie who accepted your case. My name is Keisuke. And you must be the clients, Ciel and Blanc." I said. The shorter one then said: "That's right! We're happy to meet you!" "So you're training other Digimon here that belong to tamers?" I asked. "Bingo! We thought we'd try and help the Digimon around here—and their tamers—get stronger! And learn the most important things for helping Digimon grow up!" The taller Digimon said.

I then smiled and said: "That's nice. You two seem full of potential. I'd be curious to hear your assessment of what it is that you consider to be the most important things for a Digimon to grow too." "Hee-hee! Yup, there are plenty! But to a Digimon, the most important has to be… love!" the taller Digimon said. The shorter one then said: "But I have to wonder…" and then I said: "Yes?" and the shorter one went on: "Do you think less of us for saying that?" "No. I actually agree with you." I said.

The two Digimon then looked very interested, but didn't actually say anything, so I went on: "After all, a Digimon won't reach their full potential in anything it does for a tamer until it feels touched by the tamer in a way that only the tamer can. Digimon can become strong on their own, but the special kind of power that comes from bonding with their tamer can reinforce the Digimon's abilities and confidence to the point where they can accomplish things they couldn't by themselves." The taller Digimon then smiled and said: "How excellent! You're definitely more in touch with what's important than most humans we've seen! I'm glad you're going to be our helper to train others!" I smiled and said: "Thanks… um… Ciel? Blanc?" and then the taller one said: "Oh, I'm Ciel! The one with the pink rabbit hood is Blanc." And the shorter one nodded. "Okay, that's easy enough to remember." I said.

Blanc then said: "But still, I'm a little surprised… based on your reputation, I thought you'd look really powerful, but you just look like a normal guy…" "Well as long as he understands Digimon so well, I suppose it's okay. Besides, you shouldn't make the same mistake so many of our opponents have who have underestimated us because of how we look, Blanc!" Ciel said. Blanc then nodded and said: "Yup. You're right!" and then she said to me: "Sorry, Keisuke." "It's fine. Don't worry about it. But what's this all of the sudden?" I asked.

"Oh, well… we know how strong we are, but the thing is… nobody ever took us seriously in the Digital World…" Ciel began, and then I said: "Huh? Why not?" "Because we look too cute. We haven't had any customers yet either, so we think that the same thing might be happening here too… that's why we were hoping you'd look a little more intimidating, so people would take us seriously." Ciel said. "I wouldn't worry about that." I said. "Huh? Why?" Blanc asked. "Because a cute-looking girl is a good selling point for a guy." I said back. "Huh? So you're saying we might get some guys to come just because we're cute?" Blanc said. "That's how it usually works, yes." I said back. Ciel then looked relieved and said: "Well I guess this venture might be a little more successful here than it was in the Digital World after all, then! Let's hope this plays out well!"

But then we heard a voice in the distance… it sounded like someone was saying: "It looks like we're here—the training gym!" We then turned and saw who it was: one of them was a teenage girl. She wore a cyan top under a pink jacket and had a matching cyan skirt, along with black shoes and black hose. She also had hair that was a bright red color in two pigtails. She was also accompanied by an Agumon and another Digimon—it walked on two legs, had two claws and stood upright, but it had yellow flesh and white-and-blue fur over its back, arms and head. It also had a yellow horn on the top of its head. It looked 3 feet tall.

Blanc then looked excited and said: "Ah! That sounds like someone who's here to train! At last!" Yet Ciel leaned forward before she finally said: "…But it looks like a girl." She then turned to me and said: "Are you sure about what you said, Keisuke?" "Why are you asking me? Customers are customers. Who cares who the first is?" I asked back. Ciel then paused and nodded before she said: "You're right. Whether it works the way you said it would first or not doesn't matter, as long as someone comes." the teenage girl was soon approaching, and as she did, Ciel and Blanc then said: "They were born in the Digital World! Since they were born, it was them against the world, yet they somehow survived. Very soon, we became wise and highly skilled! We are the Sistermon sisters! The Sistermon sisters!"

The teenage girl then stopped and said: "That's some introduction! Is this the training gym?" Blanc then energetically said: "That's right! We're the trainers! I'm Blanc…" and then she pointed to Ciel as she said: "…This is Ciel…" And then she pointed to me before she said: "…And this is Keisuke. We're pleased to meet you!" The girl then smiled and said: "The pleasure is all mine! My name's Nokia and these are my partners, Agumon and Gabumon. And how neat—some of the instructors are Digimon! You're adorable too!"

Ciel looked like she was trying to hide how annoyed she was before she said: "Hmph. Just don't let your guard down because of it! We may look cute, but we're serious and absolutely qualified to toughen up your Digimon!" The Agumon then said: "That sounds good to me—we wanted to become stronger!" Nokia then smiled and said: "Yeah! After all, I can't have you guys getting beaten up and stolen! What'd we do then?" The other Digimon—Gabumon—then said: "Let's do it! I can't wait to get better!" "That's the spirit! Now then, let's start out with a battle to assess your abilities." Ciel said. She then turned to me and said: "Keisuke, call out a Digimon to get started, will you?"

I nodded and called out Lekismon. Ciel and Blanc then stepped forward before Blanc said: "Okay, show us what you've got!" Nokia nodded and said: "Agumon, hit the one with the blue hood! Heavy strike!" and her Agumon then said: "Heavy strike!" and ran up to Ciel and hit her with his claws. Ciel took the hit a little hard, but recovered. Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and pointed her trident at Agumon before it shot a beam of light at him. Agumon recovered from it and Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and fired two shots at Gabumon, who recoiled from it pretty badly… He got up though. Nokia then said: "Gabumon, hit the one with the pink hood! Blue Blaster!" and Gabumon said: "Blue blaster!" and breathed a stream of blue fire at Blanc. She took the hit a little hard, but recovered from it. I then said: "Lekismon, hit Agumon with power energy 2!" and Lekismon said: "Power energy 2!" and caused an explosion of gray energy to occur where Agumon was standing. He also took this hard, but still got up. Blanc then said: "Protect wave!" and cast a spell that made her, Ciel and Lekismon immune to all abnormal statuses and stat cuts. Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Gabumon again. This time, he had a hard time getting up too… "Argh… Agumon, hit the blue-hooded one with pepper breath! Gabumon, attack the pink-hooded one with comet hammer!" Nokia said and Agumon said: "Pepper breath!" and spat a fireball at Ciel, who recovered from the hit. Gabumon then said: "Comet hammer!" and made boulders come falling down on Blanc, who also recovered from the hit. "Lekismon, use moon night bomb on Agumon!" I said. Lekismon then said: "Moon night bomb!" and conjured a blue bubble that she sent at Agumon—and he took the hit extra hard!

After this, Nokia's Digimon were thoroughly beat… "What's the matter?! Get back on your feet!" Ciel said. "Urgh… I need a break…" Agumon said. "Urf… just five minutes, please?" Gabumon asked. Ciel then looked disappointed as she said: "Jeez… we've got a way to go with them. Alright, five minutes. Then we'll do some remedial training!" Nokia looked nervous as she said: "Ulp… ugh…"

Agumon and Gabumon then lied down for the five minutes, and soon Ciel said: "Okay, time's up!" She then turned to Blanc and said: "Blanc, you take Agumon and Gabumon and put them through some remedial training." And Blanc nodded as she said: "Come on guys—it's time to toughen up!" and Agumon and Gabumon went with her as Ciel turned to me and said: "Keisuke, you come with me. We'll talk to Nokia." "Talk to me? Talk to me about what?" Nokia said.

Even I wasn't sure where Ciel was going with this… nonetheless, Ciel grabbed Nokia by the arm and led her off to a corner (and I followed) before she stopped and looked Nokia in the eyes as she said: "Nokia… if you want your Digimon to really become strong, then you need to love them more. That's the most important thing to a Digimon!" Nokia then looked a little bit surprised and offended as she said: "What?! You—you think I don't love them?!" "I didn't say that you don't love them—you're clearly good to them after all—what I said is that you don't love them enough. Think about it—your relationship with your Digimon is relatively passive. You see yourself—their tamer—as someone who supports your Digimon from the sidelines. And think about what you said before: when you considered the possibility of them being stolen—being abducted by another hacker—your answer: 'what'd we do then?' implies you wouldn't know what to do. In that situation, any real tamer would fight tooth and claw to keep their partners, if they loved them." Ciel replied.

Nokia then sobbed as she said: "You're right… I shouldn't have said—or thought—something so stupid. And what did Agumon and Gabumon think of me then…?" Ciel then nodded before she said: "It looks like you've shaped up a bit." She then looked over at Blanc, Agumon and Gabumon and then said: "It looks like Blanc is done training Agumon and Gabumon. Why don't you go talk to them?" Nokia then ran over to them and Blanc came over to us. We then huddled up as Blanc said: "Well, it looks like our gym is off the ground. Even so, I was still hoping that our first customer would love their Digimon more, like Keisuke—" and then Ciel said: "Well it's no big deal. I love a challenge. We'll whip them into shape in no time!" I then nodded and said: "You're right, Ciel. I think they'll understand—"

But then I heard Agumon and Gabumon excitedly yell: "YEEAAAH!" from further away! We then turned our heads to them and saw that they had digivolved! They were now a Greymon and Garurumon! Nokia looked surprised and said: "Wh-whoa! Agumon, Gabumon, you digivolved!" We then approached them and Ciel said: "Well! You must have connected with them! It looks like Blanc's training helped too!" She then turned to Blanc and said: "Alright Blanc, let's give them a more serious test!" "Got it!" Blanc said. She then turned to me and said: "Alright, the time has come for you to switch sides! You're with Nokia now!" "Huh?!" I said. "They'll need help for what we're about to throw at them. Just go for it!" Ciel said. "Okay…" I said.

I then stood by Nokia as Ciel and Blanc digivolved… although they weren't that different than before. The major differences with Ciel were that she was taller (she looked as tall as a human adult at 5'7 now) and her hood now covered her eyes. The major differences with Blanc were that she also had undergone a noticeable height increase (she was now 5'4) and her hood also covered her eyes, although her hood had been slit many times and was now slit into several pieces.

Nokia looked surprised as she said: "They… they digivolved?!" Ciel then said: "What's the matter? Getting cold feet already, Nokia?" she sounded like an adult woman now too… nonetheless, Nokia then assumed a tougher-looking stance as she said: "…No!" and then she turned to me and said: "Alright, let's do this, Keisuke!" "Alright! Let's go!" I replied. "That's the spirit! Alright, here we go!" Blanc said. Her voice also didn't sound as high pitched (although it was still higher-pitched) when she said that.

From Nokia's previous actions of having Agumon always target Ciel and Gabumon always target Blanc, it looked safe to assume that Ciel was a virus Digimon and Blanc was a vaccine Digimon. Even so, I checked my phone, but I saw that my suspicion was exactly right—Ciel was a virus and Blanc was a vaccine! Even so, this meant that Ciel could protect Blanc from data Digimon, so I decided to send out Gatomon, Ginryumon and Lekismon. Nokia then said: "Greymon, pump everybody up! Attack charge field!" and Greymon said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted all of our Digimons' damage output with non-magic attacks! Now that's handy! Nokia smiled and then said: "Now Garurumon, hit Ciel with Fox fire!" and Garurumon said: "Fox fire!" and spat up blue flames that burned Ciel! Blanc then said: "Mental charge field!" and cast a spell on herself and Ciel that boosted their damage output with magic attacks and damage resistance to magic attacks! Ciel then said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on herself to boost her damage output with non-magic attacks.

"Lekismon, hit Blanc with ice archery 2! Ginryumon, use attack charge on yourself!" I said. Lekismon then said: "Ice archery 2!" and conjured an icicle that she shot at Blanc before Ginryumon said: "attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks as well. Gatomon then said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining cross of light explode where Ciel was. "Greymon, turn up the heat! Use mega flame on Ciel!" Nokia said. Greymon then said: "Mega flame!" and spat a huge fireball at Ciel. Ciel then pointed her pistols at Lekismon and said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lekismon twice! Lekismon took it pretty hard too! Garurumon then said: "Fox fire!" and attacked Ciel again! "Lekismon, beat down Blanc with ice archery 2! Gatomon, hit Ciel with holy light 2!" I said. Lekismon and Gatomon then attacked again and by the end of it, Ciel was looking beat and she said: "A little help here, Blanc?" and Blanc said: "Coming right up! X-heal!" and cast a healing spell on Ciel—and she looked seriously revitalized after it! Ciel then stood up straight again and said to Blanc: "Whew! That was close! Thanks!" and Blanc smiled and said: "Anytime. What's a sister for?" "Whoa! She can really heal like she means it…!" Nokia said and Ciel grinned and said: "You'll have to figure out a way past the power of sisters' love!" I then gestured for Nokia to come near and I whispered into her ear: "We're going to need to work up the power necessary to take Ciel down in 2 or 3 attacks. Luckily you're really good at boosting and I'm really good at attacking so I'll get their attention and you should back us up until you can deal a big hit." Nokia then nodded and whispered: "Er—oh yeah! Okay, leave it to me!"

She then said: "Greymon, boost everyone's strength again! Attack charge field!" and Greymon did so before Garurumon attacked again with Fox fire. Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and held her trident up before it became electrically charged and she pointed it at Greymon and attacked him with a beam of light again. "Ginryumon, attack Ciel! Metal armor blade! Lekismon, attack Blanc! Use Ice archery 2!" and Lekismon did so before Ginryumon said: "Metal armor blade!" and spat a spear at Ciel! Ciel looked badly hurt by this and immediately shot at Lekismon again with another fury fire! Lekismon was starting to look hurt, so I said: "Gatomon, heal everyone! Aura!" and Gatomon said: "Aura!" and she cast a healing spell that restored the health of all of our Digimon.

Ciel then said: "So they can heal too, huh? Well that's just what I'd expect of them. Attack charge!" and she boosted her damage output with non-magic attacks again while Blanc said: "Mental charge field!" and further boosted her and Ciel's damage output with magic attacks and damage resistance to magic attacks. "Greymon, get ready! Acceleration boost! Garurumon, burn Blanc with Fox fire!" Nokia said. Greymon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and cast a spell on himself that would really strengthen his next attack. Garurumon then used fox fire on Blanc. I wasn't sure why Nokia was attacking Blanc when she could do more damage to Ciel… unless she was trying to trick Blanc into healing herself, since she can only heal one Digimon at a time… that would really be smart! I decided to support her strategy by saying: "Ginryumon, use heavy strike 2 on Ciel! Gatomon, use lightning paw on Blanc! Lekismon, back up Gatomon with ice archery 2!" and Ginryumon then swiped his claws at Ciel while Gatomon swiped at Blanc with her paws and got out of the way before Lekismon hit Blanc with an icicle she fired.

Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lekismon before taking her down! I didn't think it would do that much damage… "Ugh… I'm sorry, Keisuke…" Lekismon said. I smiled and said: "Don't be. You did great." And I called her back and sent in Kyubimon. Blanc then said: "X-heal!" and healed herself—she fell for it! I then said: "Ginryumon, give Greymon a boost! Critical charge!" and Ginryumon said: "Critical charge!" and cast a spell on Greymon that made it easier for him to hit an enemy's weak spots and do extra damage! Nokia then smiled and said: "Heh-heh-heh! Now it's time for you to see the fiery power of our love! Greymon, use mega flame on Ciel!" and Greymon said: "Mega flame!" and spat a giant fireball at Ciel! When it hit Ciel, she was knocked over on her back and wouldn't get up! "Ugh… that was a great attack…" Ciel said. I then quickly used the opportunity to switch out Ginryumon for Dorumon, since data Digimon were completely safe to use now.

Blanc then stared us down (although her body language hinted that she was nervous) and she said: "Mental charge field!" and boosted again. "Greymon, use attack charge field! Garurumon, attack with fox fire!" Nokia said. They then did so and I said: "Kyubimon, use mental charge on yourself! Gatomon, aura! Dorumon, use critical charge on yourself!" and Kyubimon boosted her damage output with magic attacks and her damage resistance to magic, Gatomon healed everyone and Dorumon said: "Critical charge!" and gave himself the same boost Ginryumon did to Greymon. "Greymon, acceleration boost!" Nokia said. Greymon then boosted himself again while Garurumon attacked with Fox fire. I decided to attack in order to make Blanc heal again. I said: "Kyubimon, use burst flame 2! Gatomon, lightning paw! Dorumon, metal cannon!" Kyubimon then said: "Burst flame 2!" and made an explosion of fire occur where Blanc was. Gatomon then said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at Blanc with her paws. Dorumon followed up and said: "Metal cannon!" and coughed up a cannonball that went flying at Blanc!

Luckily, Blanc said: "X-heal!" and she healed herself again! Nokia then said: "Alright, Greymon, Garurumon! Give her a taste of how strong our love is!" and Greymon attacked with mega flame while Garurumon attacked with fox fire. I had Kyubimon, Dorumon and Gatomon all back up Nokia's Digimon with the attacks they used last turn and Blanc was soundly down after that!

Ciel and Blanc then forced themselves up and Blanc said: "Waaah! What power! Both of you are the real deal!" "And they were so good at coordinating their attacks and working together too… we were the trainers and we ended up getting put on the defensive a lot… which they knew exactly how to take advantage of. That was a great performance on your part." Ciel said. Nokia then looked excited as she said: "She…" and Greymon and Garurumon said: "Nokia?" and Nokia energetically said: "She called me the real deal!" "Yes. Blanc had every right too as well—Keisuke was equally responsible for your win, but… nobody would call any of you weak now. Congratulations, Nokia, Greymon, Garurumon…" Ciel said.

"Thank you!" Nokia said. She then turned to me and said: "And thank you, Keisuke! We really did a good job back there!" I smiled and said: "We sure did! Congratulations, Nokia! I know you'll use your new power you built up today well." Nokia smiled and said: "We will! Thanks again, Ciel, Blanc, Keisuke!" and Greymon and Garurumon said: "Thank you!" together. Nokia and her Digimon then left and when they were gone, Ciel and Blanc reverted to their previous forms somehow and I kept helping them for the rest of the day. A few more people came to the gym, too!

Once the day was over, Ciel and Blanc smiled and Ciel said: "Thank you so much, Keisuke! We had our first customers today… this was a big success! You were such a good teacher too. You did such a good job, that I may just consider calling you back for another case!" Blanc then followed up by saying: "I agree! You did such a great job! I hope we can do this again." I smiled and said: "Sure. Good luck with training more customers, Ciel and Blanc. I know you'll do great."

I then left Kowloon and went to the Digilab. I greeted Mirei and healed my Digimon up before I saw the terminal in the lower-right corner again… I doubted my other Digimon could digivolve, but I wondered about Dorumon… maybe he was ready digivolve again. I then checked the terminal and I saw Dorumon was ready to digivolve… but much to my surprise, Lekismon and Gatomon were too! I then took BlueCoredramon, BlackGatomon and Seadramon out of the farm island and called them out here, then I called out my other Digimon, and when they were all there, BlackGatomon said: "Why are we all gathered here, master?" and before I could respond, Seadramon said: "Well knowing you… I'm pretty sure some major digivolution is about to happen, right?"

"That's right! In this case, Dorumon's about to digivolve, but that's not all… I'm also about to digivolve my first ultimate Digimon!" I said. Everyone then looked excited and Dorumon said: "Alright! I can't wait to digivolve again!" before BlueGreymon said: "And the ultimate level… that's a pretty big step. Who are the lucky ones who are going to be digivolving?" "There are only two right now: Lekismon and Gatomon!" I said. Lekismon smiled widely when she heard this and said: "That's great! I'm glad I'm still one of the first!" and Gatomon jumped up before she said: "Wow! I've never even been tied in time to digivolve into a Digimon from the next level everyone's trying to digivolve into! I'm so excited!" I smiled and said: "You've both been working hard lately and now's the time for you to get rewarded for it! Now let's do this!" and Lekismon and Gatomon nodded.

I started by digivolving Dorumon into a Dorugamon—he walked on two legs and was covered in dark purple fur with blue stripes. He had white feet and hands that had long, sharp-looking red claws like hooks, a very long tail with a white tuft at the end, two wings and a white scarf-like area of fur around his neck. He had a white snout, a red upside-down triangle on his forehead and two ears. He looked 4'10 tall. When the process finished, I said: "Nice work, Dorugamon! You're doing a great job!" Dorugamon then smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke. I'll keep doing my best for everyone on the team!" I smiled and said: "That's the spirit, Dorugamon! I know you'll do great too!" He smiled widely and said: "Thank you!" and went off with the others.

I then digivolved Lekismon into a Crescemon and Gatomon into an Angewomon—Crescemon walked on two pale pink legs (they still had yellow crescent moons on them too) and wore silver-and-black boots that went up to her shins. She wore a blue top, silver-and-black hip armor, silver gauntlets, black shoulder pads with silver spikes, black armor over her forehead and had two coronets on her head with pink ribbons streaming behind them that went down to her waist. She held a giant, dual-edged scythe, had two pink ears and looked 5'11 tall.

Angewomon was very much like a human woman with white tights on her right leg, white high heels, white clothing above her midriff, gold chest armor and a long, white glove that went up to her elbow on her right arm—she also had pink-colored ribbons wrapped around both of her arms that went as low as her feet and as high as a little above her head. She also had two belt buckles around her left leg and navel, as well as a dark gray helmet that had white wing like adornments over her ears and that covered her eyes… she had eight white wings on her back, waist length blonde hair and was taller than me now at 5'10 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Woo-hoo! Great job, ladies! You really accomplished something special today!" Crescemon then looked at Angewomon and they gave each other a high five before Angewomon said: "I'm just excited to be one of the first. I'm so happy about this!" "I'm glad you are. You both did a great job and you should be proud." I said. Crescemon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. I'll be happy to help everyone out as they keep digivolving too!" "Yeah! I'll be happy to lend a hand to anyone who needs it too!" Angewomon said to the others. I was proud of them for being so responsible and caring. I smiled as Seadramon said: "Congratulations, Crescemon and Angewomon! You both did a great job!" "Yeah and the way you both are so kind and generous… it was a well-deserved honor." BlueCoredramon said.

Crescemon and Angewomon smiled and I said: "Alright, now let's get back to work everybody! We'll keep going until everyone's an ultimate level Digimon!" and everyone got excited before I decided to give Crescemon and Angewomon a break and let them go to the farm island, while I added BlueCoredramon, BlueGreymon, BlackGatomon, Kyubimon, Seadramon, Dorugamon and Ginryumon to my phone. We then logged out of the Digilab.


	23. Simon: Not a smash hit

Simon Chapter 11—Not a smash hit—

The next day I went into Kyoko's office. When she saw me, I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Do we have any new cases today?" "Yes we do, actually. Our client this time is the manager of a music store, Shibuya Records." she replied. "Alright. So when are we going to meet with this manager?" I asked. "Well that's not quite going to happen this time—the manager was a bit too busy, so he wanted you to come to Shibuya Records and speak to an employee there named Reiko and get the details from her." Kyoko said. "Oh… okay. So given that 'Shibuya' is in the name, I'm guessing the store is located in that city, right?" I asked. "Yes. Shibuya Records is located downtown, so you can start searching around there. Good luck, Simon!" Kyoko said.

I then left for Shibuya and arrived in its bustling streets. I asked around about where Shibuya Records was and kept getting information from the locals until I arrived: it was a large building with lots of signs that had popular musicians on them. I walked on in and saw it looked pretty crowded today… an employee then came up to me and said: "Welcome to Shibuya Records. May I help you?" "Yes. My name is Simon and I am Kyoko Kuremi's assistant in Nakano. I came at the store manager's request to investigate an incident that had been happening here. The manager said I should speak to an employee named 'Reiko'. May I speak with her?" I asked. Saying this felt pretty awkward though… since they hadn't come into the office and seen me with Kyoko and because I wasn't from around here, I wasn't sure what they were going to think about this… the employee looked a little skeptical, but then he said: "Alright…" and I followed him further into the store.

He led me over to a teenage girl and stopped. This girl was sorting CDs and didn't seem to know we were here, so the employee said: "Reiko?" and she turned around. She looked like she was about 16 or 17 years old and was wearing a white shirt with a black apron over it. She had black shorts and long black socks with white shoes and had short dark gray hair. I also saw she had a nametag on that indeed said her name was Reiko. When Reiko saw us, she said to the employee: "Oh hi, Ayomo. What is it?" "This boy says he's an assistant to the cyber sleuth from Nakano and that he came to speak with you about the mysterious CDs." Ayomo said. Reiko then turned to me and said: "Oh are you Simon? Thank you for coming! We've had a strange incident going on here lately." Then she turned to Ayomo and said: "Thank you Ayomo. I'll handle the rest." Ayomo nodded and went back to the store's entrance.

I then said to Reiko: "So how can I help, Reiko?" she then said: "Yes, I'll be glad to fill you in. Here at Shibuya Records, we make sure to keep the very best music CDs in stock, but the thing is… as of the past week, every time we come back into the store in the morning, there are these weird CDs out on the shelves—and we didn't put them there!" "That's weird… so what happens to the CDs that used to be there, then? Is someone stealing your merchandise and leaving these in their place?" I asked. "Well… no. We always find the CDs that used to be there in our inventory room in the back, so they're not being stolen. Someone is just switching them around without us ever seeing." Reiko said. "Hmm… well, whose CDs are these?" I asked. "That's where it gets weirder… on the cover of the CD box, it's written in some unintelligible language and the music on the CDs is… unconventional. I don't think it's too bad, but customers don't like the music and there's no demand for it, so having our stock get changed with unsellable CDs over and over is creepy and counterproductive." Reiko said.

"Huh? An unintelligible language? And it's not made by a regular musician?" I asked. "Yes. So that's why we hired a detective to investigate how they're being replaced when we're not looking." Reiko said. "Hmm… well, have you tried having someone stay behind after the store closes?" I asked. "Not yet. We could, but we're not sure if we really want to meet the individual responsible for this at that time of night…" Reiko said. "I can help out. Can I speak to your manager about this possibility? I asked. "Alright, sure…" Reiko said.

She then called her manager and I managed to negotiate that we do the experiment today. A team of employees (including Reiko) was selected to stay behind that night. Everything continued as normal until the shop prepared to close. When that happened, Reiko approached me and said: "Say, Simon!" I turned to her and said: "Yes? What is it Reiko?" "Before we start this, I thought I would show you the weird CDs that get put on the shelves really quick, just for reference." Reiko said. "That's a good idea. Alright, where are they?" I asked. Reiko then took me to a separate room where she showed me the cover. It was a white cover with hand drawn monochrome-color art and it had purple letters on it, but Reiko was absolutely telling the truth about them not looking like they were written in a normal language—I had no idea what this was written in. I listened to some of the music really quickly. It was pretty loud, even though the volume wasn't too high and sounded odd… it wasn't particularly bad or good, just… bland.

We then went back out into the shop and I began to patrol the area. This went on for a couple of hours until it was midnight… I was beginning to get tired and headed back into the entrance of the store and saw Reiko there—she was also looking tired. When she saw me, she said: "Hi Simon. Did you find anything?" "Nope. Sorry, Reiko…" I said. "I understand. I haven't seen anything either." she said. She then yawned and went on: "It's pretty discouraging, but we've got to keep at it!" I grinned and nodded, but then I saw something that wasn't there before—a doorway that was open a crack now had bright purplish-pink light coming out of it! My eyes widened. This was just like at the subway in Shinjuku! So was this… a digital wave? I backed up and then Reiko said: "What? What is it?" "Reiko… look at the door!" I whispered. She then turned around and her eyes widened too. "What? What's going on?" She said quietly. Almost as if in response, the door opened all the way and a strange creature came out a second later! It looked like a tall monkey—it had orange fur with a pale white underbelly, and walked on two legs with two arms and a head that had eyes that were covered by sunglasses. It also had a belt with a yellow teddy bear on one side and a mic on the other. It looked 5'8 tall. But this creature was holding a bunch of CDs like the ones Reiko had shown me in its arms!

Reiko looked genuinely shocked and when she saw it, she said: "Wow! What are you?" The creature then turned to us and said: "Me? I'm the master song artist, Etemon! This is surprising… normally no one's in here!" Etemon? So he must be a Digimon… But then he grinned and said: "Oh wait, I know! If you came all the way out here when I did, you must be… my fans?" Reiko and I exchanged glances before I said: "Not by a long shot. But let's not dwell on that, shall we? Rather, I'd like to know what those CDs are and what relationship you have to them." "These? These are my latest work, 'Sweet Simian Serenade'! I've been putting them out here to get my work out there! Surely you must have heard them?" Etemon asked.

Reiko responded: "Yes we have." "…And? What did you think of them then?" Etemon asked. "They're neither great nor bad to be honest, but if you're the one who's been messing with the shop stock—" I began but then Etemon looked annoyed and said: "Whaaat?! How can you not appreciate the genius I put into them?! Well maybe it's about time you got to see it up close!" and he grabbed me and pulled me into the digital shift through the doorway!

I heard Reiko say: "Simon?!" before Etemon pulled me in and in a second, I was in an underground passageway with Etemon and he pulled his mic out and said: "Get ready for the opening song! Track one: Go bananas for—" but then I stopped listening. If this was a digital shift, my Digimon should be able to help me out here. I took out my phone and it said: "Etemon scan data: 10%" and said he was a virus Digimon—perfect! I called out Winston, Pepper and Jason and when Etemon saw them, he said: "Wait—what's this?! You had Digimon with you?!" I grinned and said: "You made a mistake, Etemon." "Aah…" he said before he went on: "Okay, this show's going on tour! See if you can keep up! Ha-ha-ha!" and he ran off further in. I shook my head while Jason said: "What a chicken…" Pepper then nodded and he said: "He's all talk." "Well talk or not, he's still getting away." Winston said. "That is a fair point. Alright, let's get him!" I said. We all then ran further in.

We then went around the passageways of the digital shift until we finally got in visible range of Etemon! "A-ha! There you are!" I said. Etemon looked over his shoulder and kept running off. He ran into a hallway in the side of the wall (and we followed)… and then I ended up chasing him into a corner! "Got you!" I said. Etemon then turned around and said: "Hmmph… alright then, it's time to get this show started!"

He then said: "Mirror reflection!" and cast a spell on himself, but it didn't have any immediate effect… I then said: "Pepper, give yourself a boost! Jason, hit him with razor wind!" Pepper then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks. Jason then said: "Razor wind!" and rolled at Etemon and slashed at him with his tail before he came back. Winston then said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Etemon was. But Etemon then leapt at Winston and kicked him before backing up. "What the…! To have retaliated so fast… how did he pull that off?" Pepper asked. "That is weird… of course Winston can handle it, but why didn't he do anything when I hit him?" Jason asked. "I guess he must retaliate against magic attacks because of that spell he used… we'd better be careful about using them…" I said.

Etemon then said: "Nightmare 3!" and made dark purple energy form around Jason and hit him. Pepper then said: "Acceleration boost!" and cast a spell on himself to really power up his next attack. Jason then said: "Saint knuckle 2!" and ran at Etemon before he swiped at Etemon with his paw—Etemon took it really hard too! I then said: "Alright Winston, time to switch attacks! Use heaven's knuckle!" and Winston said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and his fist started to shine before he projected a beam of light from it that struck Etemon—and he took it pretty hard! Etemon then recovered and held his mic up to his mouth as he said: "Love Serenade!" and started singing loudly into the mic, which projected his voice so it was massively loud! I covered my ears and my Digimon looked really uncomfortable as Etemon kept singing until he finally stopped…

Pepper and Winston were still looking fine, but Jason looked about ready to drop, so I said: "Alright, Jason! Time to withdraw!" and I called him back and sent Elena in. Winston then said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and attacked Etemon with the beam of light from his fist again. I then said: "Elena, hit him with a lightning paw! Pepper, give him all you've got with a mega flame!" and Elena leapt at Etemon and said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at him with her claws before she ran back and Pepper said: "Mega flame!" and spat up a ball of fire at Etemon! It was probably because Pepper had boosted himself up a lot, but Etemon did not react to this well. He said: "YEEEOW!" before he fell on his back. He just barely managed to get up though and then he hit us with another love serenade. All of my Digimon recovered though, and I said: "Elena, finish him off! Lightning paw!" and Elena said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at Etemon with her claws again. Etemon was knocked down and onto his face. Etemon struggled to get up, but couldn't do it… we had won!

My Digimon celebrated as Etemon groaned and said: "Unngh… all I wanted was to get my work out there and inspire the public…" "Even so, messing with a business is wrong. And by messing with what CDs they had displayed, you made the employees at Shibuya Records worry too." I said.

"Mmmmph… okay fine! I'll stop adding my music to the shelves! Are we good now?!" Etemon asked. "Yes we are." I said. Etemon sighed and said: "Alright then…" and then I went with my Digimon back through the way I came.

When I arrived at the entrance to Shibuya Records, Pepper said: "Looks like we got that done just fine! Another case solved!" "That was a superb victory. It's too bad it had to end with another battle though." Winston said. "Sorry, Winston. Even so, I don't think it can be denied that you're all getting stronger!" I said. "I'm glad to hear that. That kind of good work is something to be proud of!" Elena said. We all smiled and I said: "Way to go, everyone. Of course, now that I'm going outside of the digital wave, you'd better all go back to my phone." "Alright then. Until next time, Simon!" Pepper said. I nodded and then called them all back before I went through the door back to Shibuya Records.

When I got back, Reiko was still there, but was looking around nervously. It seemed she heard me though, because she looked up and said: "Oh! Simon!" and I walked forward as I said: "Hi there, Reiko." She then approached me and said: "I'm so relieved you made it back! What happened with that strange creature?" "He tried to threaten me, but I had some Digimon of my own, so when he saw that, he fled. I managed to catch him and stop him and he said he wouldn't mess with the inventory on the shelves again." I said. "Whew! That's a relief! I'll bet everyone will be happy about that too!" Reiko said.

But just then we heard a sniveling noise before we heard a: "That is so terrible. I was working so hard and just for the chance to delight audiences!" We then turned around and saw Etemon at the doorway! Before we could say anything, he then went on: "Composing the melodies, editing the sound, getting just the right amount of each instrument… it's actually a lot harder than it looks! And now all I have to look forward to is going back to being an unknown nobody…"

Seeing this, I couldn't help but suddenly feel a little sorry for him… Reiko appeared to be hesitating for a moment before she finally said: "Well it is true that—on one hand—hearing it makes me want to claw my ears out, but on the other hand, I don't think your music was that bad either—" and then Etemon looked up and said: "R-Really?!" "Yes. It has its unique charm and trying to advance the field of music is an admirable thing too. As you say, it's harder than it looks and it takes courage to put your work out there. That's why I can feel sympathy for you wanting to do that… Etemon, was it?" Reiko said. Etemon nodded and then Reiko went on: "And I can't say I can blame you for that. While you shouldn't have put those CDs on the shelves where the hot sellers go without telling anyone, if you give me some time, I'll talk to my manager and see if I can get a separate section for your CDs to be sold from arranged."

"You… you'd do that?!" Etemon said. "Sure! You tried to get your music out there, all while being a song artist of a different species! It would be a waste if your work were to stop here. Of course, I can't promise the manager will approve it, but just give me some time to set it up, okay? Who knows, maybe I'll even become your fan!" Reiko said.

Etemon sniveled again and said: "Gee, thanks… no one has ever been this nice to me about my music! I really appreciate it, miss…" and then Reiko said: "Reiko." "Reiko! Thank you, Reiko! You're a really great human!" Etemon said. He then turned to me and said: "I'm sorry I pulled you back there, but I'm glad this all worked out. This wouldn't have ended half as well if it weren't for you and Reiko." I smiled and said: "It really did work out for the best. All's well that ends well, and I'm glad about that."

Reiko, Etemon and I all then laughed and Etemon said: "Well then Reiko, would you mind giving me a work E-mail address or a mailing address or… something that I can use to communicate with you, in case your manager approves this?" "Oh sure. Here…" Reiko said as she reached into a pocket on her apron and pulled out a business card and said: "Here's my card! My contact information is right on it." "Thank you!" Etemon said before he went on: "Well, I'm headed back underground for now. Good luck to you both!" and he went through the doorway before the purplish-pink light faded from it.

Reiko then turned to me and said: "Thanks for your help, Simon. Well, now that this is all wrapped up, I guess we can get ready to go too!" "Yup. Let's all gather up and we'll head on out of here." I said. Reiko and I then gathered up all of the employees and after I relayed to them that the case was solved, everyone left the store and after it was locked up, we all went our separate ways.

The next day when I went into Kyoko's office, she was working on something at her computer. The odd thing is, she didn't even seem to notice I was here… I then said: "Good morning, Kyoko." Kyoko then looked up and said: "Ah, I see you're back, Simon. Has the case been solved at Shibuya Records?" "Yes it has, Kyoko. It was actually a Digimon song artist who was sneaking in at midnight putting his songs on the shelves. It was his way of trying to get his work out there." I said. Kyoko laughed a little before she said: "A Digimon trying to get exposure in the song world of humans… how charming. It never ceases to amaze me how so many—whether human or Digimon—are willing to bravely explore that which is unknown to them." I smiled and said: "Well said, Kyoko."

I then said: "But is everything going okay for you today? You looked pretty distracted when I came in…" Kyoko then looked like she was hesitating before she said: "Well, there is something I've been working on… do you remember the files you gave me that you… er… 'found' at the Avalon server?" "Yes. What about them?" I asked. "From them, I discovered proof that Kamishiro illicitly acquired the Nile Corporation. It's my intent to press charges against them." Kyoko said. "…Are you sure that's a wise course of action, Kyoko? Taking on a company as huge as Kamishiro? What do you stand to gain from it?" I asked. "Oh, I stand to gain plenty after what they did to my—" Kyoko began, but then she stopped. "Kyoko?" I said. She sighed before she said: "I stopped that sentence at the wrong time. Well the truth is… I already knew about Kamishiro acquiring the Nile Corporation illicitly… I wasn't looking at the files to confirm that. What I wanted was proof that spelled it out so that anyone could understand."

"HUH? Wait, does that mean you—" I began and then Kyoko said: "No, I never worked at Kamishiro, or the Nile Corporation. I learned this from my father, the very man who founded the detective agency I now run… that was because he was the one who originally discovered it and he shared this knowledge with me before he tried to pursue charges himself." Kyoko said. "So what happened? Why didn't it work?" I asked. "…Kamishiro essentially had my father 'whacked'—as you would say—before he could announce what he discovered. They brought pressure down hard on other entities on the law side of society too… which is why I didn't get a shred of justice… that's why I'm trying to succeed where he didn't…" Kyoko said. "Kyoko… I'm so sorry…" I said. "You don't have to apologize—it obviously has nothing to do with you. Even so, would you please not disclose this to anyone?" Kyoko asked. "Yes, I promise." I said.

Kyoko then smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. I'll be working on that a little more. Well anyway, I hope you're not too tired after last night, because we've got a new case on our hands! This one's pretty serious too." "A serious case, huh? So what's the story?" I asked. "Well it's a plenty sinister one… this is a case of a recent string of disappearances." Kyoko said.


	24. Simon: Day of the demons

Simon Chapter 12—Day of the demons—

"Disappearances? Where? And who's been disappearing?" I asked. "Well let me start from the beginning—our client is the mother of a child who has gone missing. She did some checking around with other parents and—from what she can tell—the missing children all had one thing in common: they were attending an event called a 'Demon Pilgrimage'." Kyoko said. "A 'Demon Pilgrimage'?" I echoed. "Yes. Unfortunately, no one knows what kind of event it is, or where it is… so they wanted us to look for clues." Kyoko said.

"That's going to be pretty tough with nothing to go off of… where was this mother located?" I asked. "She's in Shinjuku. It sounded like some of the other parents were there too." Kyoko said. "Then I'd better go there and see if I can get any clues about what this event is…" I said. "That's not a bad idea. Alright then Simon, I'll leave you to it! Good luck!" Kyoko said. "Yup!" I said.

I then left Nakano and went to Shinjuku. I asked around town—multiple people had heard of it, but didn't know anything about it or where it was located… I then headed to downtown Shinjuku, feeling discouraged. I asked around, but didn't get any more information out of anyone there than I had before. Eventually I stopped and looked down out of frustration, but then I heard a: "Hey Simon!" and turned around to see Nokia here!

"Oh hi, Nokia. What brought you here today?" I asked. "I was just doing some shopping! What about you Simon? I don't normally see you around here…" Nokia said. "Well, I'm here on business today. I'm investigating a case…" I said and Nokia said: "A case?" "Yes. Come to think of it, do you mind if I ask you about it, Nokia?" I asked. "No, not at all. So what's going on?" Nokia asked.

"There has been a recent string of people who have been attending an event called the 'Demon Pilgrimage'. Do you know what this is, Nokia?" I asked. "Well sure. The Demon Pilgrimage is an event where select youths get to meet Jimiken at a special concert. One of my friends told me that… but why is that so important?" Nokia asked.

My eyes then widened and I said: " _THAT_ GUY? He's behind this…?!" Nokia then frowned and said: "Behind what? Could you please answer me?" "Uh… sorry, Nokia. Well to answer your question, the parents of these youths have come to me and told me that their children are missing!" I said. "Wait… what?! You mean that the concert-goers, the ones who were chosen… they went missing?!" Nokia said. "Yes! That's exactly what the client explained!" I said. "I can't believe it! Jimiken, that loser! We've got to find out more about this!" Nokia said.

"I'm with you there! We've got to do something!" I said. "So where should we start? I have no idea where it is…" Nokia said. "Jimiken used to be with the Zaxons. Maybe they know where he went." I said. "Er—oh yeah! Good point, Simon! But even so, the Zaxons have their own private server where they meet… how are we supposed to get in?" Nokia asked. "Let's check around Kowloon. Maybe we can find one who will let us in." I said. Nokia then nodded and we went to a terminal back further away and logged into Kowloon.

When we arrived, I called out Pepper, Daisy and Scott. When Nokia saw this, she said: "Oh yeah, that's right. Digimon are here. Good thought, Simon. Well then…" and she called out… a Greymon and a Garurumon! "Oh wow! So Agumon and Gabumon digivolved, Nokia?" I asked. Greymon smiled and said: "That's right! We finally got enough experience so we could digivolve!" "Yeah! It was good timing too—digivolution is important for all Digimon, and we had been rookies for a long time." Garurumon said. "Yup. I liked how cute Agumon and Gabumon were, but they're really cool now!" Nokia said. Greymon and Garurumon then chuckled shyly before I said: "Alright. Now let's get going!"

We then proceeded further into Kowloon. We went around asking any hackers we saw, but none of them were members of Zaxon… we kept going until we stumbled across a boy and when we saw him, I said: "Hi there!" and he turned around and said: "Huh? What is it?" "We're looking for a member of team Zaxon. Are you with them?" Nokia asked. "Yeah, I'm a member. So why are you looking for one of us? Are you interested in joining up?" the boy asked. "Not exactly; we wanted to speak with Yuuko or Fei, but for different reasons." I said.

The boy then looked mystified before he said: "You know Yuuko and Fei? How?" "We've helped them out before. We wanted to ask them something." I said. "Huh… well, I'm a little busy at the moment, so I can't take you there now… here, I'll just send you the URL so you can enter whenever." The boy said. I then felt my phone vibrate and Nokia said: "Thanks! Good luck out there!" "Sure. See ya!" the boy said.

Nokia and I then went back to the entrance and logged out before we prepared to check to see if we could access the Zaxon forum. We looked at all of the destinations we could access… and the Zaxon forum was one of them! "Score! Looks like we can finally get in!" Nokia said. "Right! Next stop: the Zaxon forum!" I said.

We then entered and arrived in the middle of a hall with some tamers here… Nokia and I looked at each other before we walked ahead. It seemed the tamers noticed us rather quickly though, because soon we heard a male tamer say: "Huh? Hey, how'd you get in here?" Nokia and I then turned to the voice and saw a crowd of tamers come up to us… a girl then said: "So who are you? Are you hackers that were scouted by other Zaxons?" "Not exactly…" I began, but then I heard a: "Hey, what are you all doing, bunching up like that?" that voice… it was Fei's voice!

We then looked up to see Fei coming towards us and one of the tamers said: "Oh Fei. We've got some… unfamiliar faces here in the Zaxon forum and we were trying to figure out how they got in." "WHAT? Well let me see 'em, then!" Fei said. The crowd parted and when Fei saw us, she said: "Simon? Nokia? How'd you get in here?" "Oh, so you know them, Fei?" a tamer said. "…Yeah, I do." Fei said. She then went on: "It's okay everyone, give me some space. I'll handle this."

The Zaxons all then dispersed before Fei said: "So how'd you get in here?" We then explained what had happened and Fei said: "So one of our members gave you the URL, huh? That's a little surprising…" and then she went on: "Not that I really care. You're not anyone we'd need to keep out anyway. So what brought you to the Zaxon forum?" "I'm investigating the disappearances of a group of youths and I wanted to ask you something, Fei. I believe you may know some of the details I'm looking for." I said. "A-an investigation? Over what?" Fei asked.

Nokia and I then recounted the details and by the end, Fei looked furious and she clenched her fist as she said: "Grr, that rat Jimiken! To think he'd go that far…!" "It is a nasty situation. Since Jimiken is an ex-Zaxon, I was hoping you'd have an idea of where he may have gone." I said. "That depends on what 'where' means. If you're asking for the site of this so-called 'Demon Pilgrimage', I'm sorry, but I have no idea…" Fei said before she continued: "But if you're asking for more general clues about his whereabouts, I can help you. I do know what Jimiken did and where he went after he was banished from the Zaxons."

"Really?! Aw, that's awesome! So please Fei—do tell." I said. "After he was banished from team Zaxon, Jimiken founded a group of tamers called the 'Demons'. They have their own private forum, just like we do, and Jimiken and his little pack of dogs have been going around making trouble." Fei said. "That's… terrible." Nokia said. "Yeah, it is. Worse still for us is that most of the hackers Jimiken recruited were Zaxons that left us to be a part of his team, so because the Demons have a history in the Zaxons, it's getting harder to maintain a good image for us…" Fei said.

She then went on: "So given that Jimiken is tied to the disappearances of these kids, it's very possible that the Demons are involved in this too. That being said, if you find a Demon and get some information out of them—one way or another—it will help you. Since Jimiken leads the Demons, they surely must be aware of his activities." "That's great! Thank you Fei, you've been very helpful." I said. Fei grinned and said: "No problem. If you're going after Jimiken, get him back for me and the other Zaxons, you hear?" "Don't worry Fei—he'll be paying for it in a prison cell after we're through with him." I said. "That works for me! Good luck then, Simon." Fei said.

We then left the Zaxon forum and went back to Kowloon. We called out the same Digimon we did before and investigated the multiple levels of Kowloon, until we got to the highest one we had seen so far. We searched around the area and found some hackers in the area, but none of them were Demons. Eventually, we came to a clearing much further in and found three teenage boys there… and they had Demon masks on! Nokia and I then approached them and I said: "Excuse me…" and they turned around and one of them said: "Eh? What is it?" "I've been looking into Jimiken's activities in the Demon Pilgrimage and I wanted to know where it is." I said. "Huh? Why? Jimiken already told all of the attendees where to…" one of them began but then he said: "Wait a minute—are you with the cops or something?" "I am a cyber sleuth." I answered. "Then it's about time you disappeared." One of the tamers said.

One of them then stepped forward and said: "It'll be a pleasure to wipe you out, sucker sleuth! Hahahaha!" "Just try me!" I said. "Ooh, let me help!" Nokia said as she ran in. The boy then called out an Ikkakumon, a Togemon and a third Digimon—it was an odd animal Digimon with yellow skin that had two back legs and two front arms—one arm was a normal size, but the other was drastically bigger than the other arm, and even its back legs! It also had red claws on its feet and hands and it walked like an animal on its legs and arms, even though it wasn't quadrupedal. It had a dark brown helm over its head with a horn and it had only one eye on the right side of its head… It looked 6'6 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Ikkakumon scan data: 30%. Togemon scan data: 15%. Cyclonemon scan data: 15%." I kept Pepper, Daisy and Scott out while Greymon and Garurumon came into the fray. The fight opened when the tamer said: "Cyclonemon, cross counter! Ikkakumon, wash them away with an ocean wave!" and Cyclonemon said: "Cross counter!" and it appeared nothing happened… Ikkakumon then said: "Ocean wave!" and a wave of water formed in front of his team and crashed into our Digimon. I then said: "Daisy, hit Ikkakumon with crescent leaf 2! Scott, use wolkenapalm 2 on the Togemon!" and Daisy said: "Crescent leaf 2!" and conjured several sharp-edged leaves around Ikkakumon that hit him, hard! Scott then said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where Togemon was standing! Nokia then said: "Greymon, Garurumon, coordinate your attacks on the Cyclonemon!" and Greymon said: "Mega flame!" and spat a giant fireball at Cyclonemon while Garurumon said: "Fox fire!" and sprayed a stream of fire at Cyclonemon. Cyclonemon took it hard, but then he leapt at Greymon and swiped at him with his arm and then did the same to Garurumon! "Yow! How'd he react so suddenly…?" Nokia said and I said: "It must be the same thing as mirror reflection—cross counter has to be a kind of skill that lets the Digimon strike back whenever it's attacked by a certain attack, in this case, non-magic attacks!"

The tamer then said: "Hit 'em all Togemon! Needle spray!" And Togemon said: "Needle spray!" and she sent needles flying at Pepper, Daisy, Scott, Greymon and Garurumon! Pepper, Greymon and Garurumon took it the hardest and then Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and cast a spell on himself that will make his next attack deal a super powerful hit. I think I see where he's going with this… he's clever!

The tamer then said: "Ikkakumon, heal Cyclonemon! Cyclonemon, give Togemon a boost!" and Ikkakumon said: "Heal !" and cast a spell that restored Cyclonemon's health! "Hey!" Nokia said. The tamer laughed as Cyclonemon said: "Critical charge!" and cast a spell on Togemon to help her identify our Digimons' weak points… "Greymon, pump everybody up with attack charge field! Garurumon, hit Cyclonemon with grand rock 2!" Nokia said and then Greymon said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell on everyone that strengthened their damage output with non-magic attacks. Garurumon then said: "Grand rock 2!" and made a boulder appear around Cyclonemon and burst. Best of all, since it was a magic attack, Cyclonemon couldn't counter it! I then said: "Scott, use wolkenapalm 2 on Togemon!" and Scott said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and hit Togemon with fire again. Togemon got up and said: "Needle spray!" and hit all of our Digimon again… it looked like some of them took it extra hard too…

Pepper then said: "Mega flame!" and spat up a giant fireball at Cyclonemon. The attack did massive damage, but unfortunately Cyclonemon got up and leapt at Pepper and swiped at him with his claws. Nokia then said: "Garurumon! Take down Cyclonemon!" and Garurumon said: "Grand rock 2!" and took Cyclonemon down! "Scott, use attack charge on Daisy!" I said. Scott then said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on Daisy that further strengthened her non-magic attacks. The tamer then said: "Ikkakumon, heal Togemon! Togemon, needle spray!" Nokia then said: "Greymon, defend!" and Greymon assumed a defensive stance before Togemon fired needles off at all of our Digimon again… Greymon had less trouble taking the attack and Ikkakumon restored Togemon's health.

The tamer then laughed and said: "Well looks like that's that. Too bad for you, you were so close to taking Togemon down too! Hahahaha!" and then I grinned and said: "What made you think I was after Togemon?" The tamer then suddenly looked perplexed as I said: "Daisy, Pepper! Attack Ikkakumon together! Crescent leaf 2 and Mega flame!" and Daisy said: "Crescent leaf 2!" and hit him with it before Pepper said: "It's time for you to feel the burn! Mega flame!" and spat a giant fireball at Ikkakumon. Ikkakumon fell down from the attack… and couldn't get up!

"What the…!" the tamer said and then I smiled and Nokia said: "Great job, Greymon and Garurumon! Now defend yourselves!" and they assumed defensive positions before I called Pepper back and sent in Elena. I then said: "Scott, hit Togemon with exhaust flame!" and Scott said: "Exhaust flame!" and spat up black, smoky fire at Togemon. "Give them a rune forest, Togemon!" the tamer said and Togemon said: "Rune forest!" and a leaf came down in between our Digimon and then many more leaves erupted from the ground and hit our Digimon before a dome of green energy came up and hit them too. Finally, Elena said: "Power energy 2!" and blasted Togemon with gray energy before she was down for the count!

"Alright! Great job, Greymon! Garurumon!" Nokia said. I grinned and said: "Nice work, everyone!" The tamer then said: "Hmph. If only I didn't have such lame Digimon…" Nokia then frowned and said: "It's not their fault! You're the lame one!" "Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that! I'm not the only tamer here after all, or didn't you notice?" the tamer said before he backed out and another one came in and said: "That's right. And now I'm up!" and he sent in an ExVeemon, a Meramon and a Kuwagamon!

ExVeemon was a humanoid lizard Digimon with blue skin and a white underbelly that had a gray 'x' on it, as well as a horn on its face and two more horns on the top of its head. It had white wings on its back and was very muscular. It looked 5'6 tall. Kuwagamon was a giant beetle Digimon that had a red orange body and black markings on its back and the top of its head. It had four arms, two clear wings and two giant pincers on the sides of its jaws, although it looked like it had no visible eyes for some reason… it looked 6 feet tall.

The battle began when the tamer said: "Meramon, give Kuwagamon a boost!" and Meramon said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on Kuwagamon that boosted the strength of its non-magic attacks. The tamer then said: "Now Kuwagamon! Give the Togemon a scissor claw!" and Kuwagamon said: "Scissor claw!" and snapped his jaws together in a bite at Daisy and she then said: "Yowch!" and fell on her back. When she did, she said: "Sorry, Simon…" "That's alright. You did great." I said. I then called her back and sent in Winston while Nokia said: "Greymon, Garurumon! Take down Kuwagamon!" and Greymon said: "Mega flame!" while Garurumon said: "Fox fire!" and they breathed flames at Kuwagamon, who took them pretty hard! The tamer frowned and said: "ExVeemon, get Greymon! Character reversal!" and ExVeemon flew over to Greymon and said: "Character reversal!" and struck him with a blow of his fist before flying back. I then said: "Scott and Elena! Attack Meramon! Winston, hit Kuwagamon with holy light 2!" and Scott said: "Exhaust flame!" and breathed smoky, black flames at Meramon before Elena said: "Nightmare 2!" and made a blob of purple energy form at Meramon's head and burst, knocking him down. Winston then said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining, exploding cross appear where Kuwagamon was.

"Argh! Meramon, hit Angemon with flaming fist!" the tamer said and then Meramon said: "Flaming fist!" and his hands flared up with flames before he ran up and hit Winston, who took it pretty hard. The tamer than went on: "ExVeemon, attack the Angemon! Character reversal!" and ExVeemon hit Winston with a blow of his fist.

Nokia then said: "Greymon, burn Kuwagamon up with a wolkenapalm 2! Garurumon, attack ExVeemon with a grand rock 2!" and Garurumon said: "Grand rock 2!" and made a giant boulder form where ExVeemon was before it burst seconds later before Greymon said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and made a blast of fire hit Kuwagamon… but this time Kuwagamon just shrugged it off! "HUH? What made Kuwagamon take it so easy this time?!" Nokia said. The tamer then said: "You don't know what the bug status condition does, huh? That's amusing." "It looks like that character reversal switches what your Digimon is naturally strong and weak against… which means Winston isn't going to be very useful against Kuwagamon either…" I said. "No, it won't! And speaking of which…" the tamer said before he went on: "Kuwagamon! Hit Angemon with a scissor claw!" and Kuwagamon flew in and chomped at Winston with his jaws again before Winston was down…

I then called Winston back and sent in Sabrina. Now I could see that ExVeemon was a serious threat, so I said: "Elena, hit ExVeemon with a Power energy 2! Scott, boost yourself! Sabrina, get ExVeemon with burst flame 2!" and Scott said: "Attack charge!" and boosted the damage output of his non-magic attacks before Elena said: "Power energy 2!" and caused an explosion of gray energy to occur where ExVeemon was. Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and burned ExVeemon with a fiery explosion!

As his ExVeemon stood, the tamer said: "Get up, you weakling! You can do better than that!" and Nokia frowned and said: "How could you be so mean to them?! Especially when they're fighting for your sake!" the tamer then said: "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Kuwagamon, get the Kyubimon! Scissor claw!" and Kuwagamon said: "Scissor claw!" and chomped at Sabrina, which left her looking hurt…

Nokia said: "Hmm… so if his weaknesses have been reversed, then that means his strengths have too… which means…" and then she went on: "Greymon! Acceleration boost!" and Greymon said: "Acceleration boost!" and then she said: "Garurumon! Wipe out Kuwagamon! Grand rock 2!" and Garurumon said: "Grand rock 2!" and he knocked Kuwagamon out! I then said: "Scott, show Meramon how to use a real fire attack! Exhaust flame! Elena, attack ExVeemon! Lightning paw!" and then Scott said: "Exhaust flame!" and burned Meramon in a blast of fire! Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at ExVeemon with her claws! ExVeemon did get up, although he looked weak from all the damage he had taken…

The tamer then said: "Meramon! Hit Garurumon with flaming—" and then Nokia said: "Not so fast! Greymon! Mega flame Meramon!" and Greymon said: "Mega flame!" and spat up a fireball that hit Meramon and soundly took him down! "Great work, Nokia!" I said. She smiled and the tamer called Meramon back before I said: "Scott, you help too! Get ExVeemon!" and Scott said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and caused a blast of fire to damage ExVeemon… and he was down!

The tamer then backed away and another one stepped up and said: "Looks like it's down to me. I love a good challenge…" he then said: "MetalGreymon and Devimon! Get out there!" and he called out a MetalGreymon and a Devimon! MetalGreymon were much like Greymon, but they had metal over their heads (above their upper jaws) instead of a helm and had short red hair. They also had a chest plate that was made of metal too. Their right arm even was made of metal from the elbow down, with sharp, pointy claws jutting out of the hand! They had white toenails (as well as white claws on their left hands), purple wings on their backs and were taller than Greymon too, at about 8'6 tall. I then called Scott back and sent in Pepper while Nokia said: "Garurumon! Hit Devimon with fox fire!" and Garurumon did so. The tamer then said: "Devimon, hit Greymon with destruction cannon 2! MetalGreymon, acceleration boost!" and Devimon said: "Destruction cannon 2!" and sent a blob of darkness at Greymon that knocked him down and he wouldn't get up… Greymon then said: "I'm sorry, Nokia…" and Nokia smiled and said: "That's alright. After all, look at how many of them it took to bring you down! Leave the rest to Garurumon." "Right!" Garurumon said. Nokia then called Greymon back and MetalGreymon then cast a spell to really boost his next attack…

I then said: "Elena, get ready to defend! Pepper, prepare an acceleration boost! Sabrina, give yourself a boost!" and Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and powered up his next attack. Sabrina then said: "Mental charge!" and cast a spell on herself that increased her damage output with magic attacks, as well as her damage resistance to magic attacks. The tamer then said: "Devimon, hit the Kyubimon with destruction cannon 2! MetalGreymon, blast BlackGatomon! Giga destroyer!" and Devimon said: "Destruction cannon 2!" and hit Sabrina with a blob of darkness. MetalGreymon then said: "Giga destroyer!" and his chest plate opened and shot two missiles at Elena who (somehow) managed to recover from the attack. She looked like she couldn't take much more though…

Nokia then said: "Garurumon, hit Devimon with fox fire!" and Garurumon said: "Fox fire!" and burned Devimon with fire. "Pepper, you help too! Mega flame! Elena, Sabrina, go all out on MetalGreymon! Use lightning paw and Burst flame 2!" I said and Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at MetalGreymon with her claws before she ran off and Sabrina said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to envelop MetalGreymon. He took the hit pretty hard, but still recovered though… Pepper then said: "Mega flame!" and spat a massive fireball that took Devimon down! "MetalGreymon, use meteor fall 2!" the tamer said and MetalGreymon said: "Meteor fall 2!" and sent a ball of red-hot rock flying down from above at our Digimon—and it took Elena down! I then called her back and sent out my last Digimon I had who could still fight—Scott.

I then said: "Scott, defend yourself! Sabrina, boost again! Pepper, acceleration boost!" and Scott assumed a defensive position before Sabrina said: "Mental charge!" and boosted herself again. Pepper then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really power up his next attack. Nokia then said: "Garurumon, give him a grand rock 2!" and Garurumon said: "Grand rock 2!" and caused a boulder to spawn at MetalGreymon's position before it burst. The tamer then said: "Blast Garurumon hard, MetalGreymon! Use giga destroyer!" and MetalGreymon said: "Giga destroyer!" and shot more missiles at Garurumon, who was starting to look tired…

I then said: "Scott, get ready to block! Sabrina, use burst flame 2! Pepper, give him all you've got with a mega flame!" and they attacked while Scott prepared to block. MetalGreymon was starting to look beat by now and Nokia had Garurumon pitch in a grand rock 2… and that did it! It took him down!

The tamer then looked down and said: "Ugh… I can't believe we lost to those brats…" I then stepped forward and said: "Anyways—now that that's out of the way—I'd still like to hear from you about the Demon Pilgrimage." "Yeah, yeah, fine. Jimiken selected his fans that would get to meet him a while back and is now performing for them in the Demons' Den—" one of the boys began and then I said: "The Demons' Den?" "It's the forum for members of the Demons." another boy said. "Then give me the URL for it." I said. "You big dope! What makes you think we're just going to hand it over to you?!" the last boy said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you're not comfortable giving it to me, you could always give it to a police officer, if you catch my drift." I said.

The three boys suddenly looked uncomfortable and one of them said: "Tch, gotta go calling in your cronies, huh? Well fine. Here, take the URL to the Demons' Den!" and then I felt my phone vibrate, as it had when the Zaxon member had sent me the URL to the Zaxon forum.

But then another boy said: "But know this: Jimiken started his performance a while ago. So how far into it is he now I wonder? And—more importantly—how close is he to moving on and getting out of there? Ahahahahaha!" "Ugh! Looks like we'll need to act fast! Let's step on it, Simon!" Nokia said. I nodded and we ran off back to the terminal at the entrance.

When we got there, Nokia said: "Alright then! Here we go! Right into the den!" "Not so fast Nokia—our Digimon aren't in any condition to dive right into the hornet's nest right now. We'll need to heal them first." I said. "Oh—oh yeah! But even so, how are we supposed to heal them and get there in time?" Nokia asked. "Simple. Watch…" I said as I took us to the Digilab.

When we arrived, Nokia said: "Huh? Where is this place?" and then Mirei looked up and said: "Hm? Who said tha—" and then she saw us and said: "Simon? And who's that behind you? You brought in a friend?" "Yes Mirei. Sorry about that, but we really need to heal our Digimon quickly and be off and the healing terminal here is the best way to do it!" I said. "No need for apologies, Simon—if it'll help more Digimon, I don't mind. But if you're in a hurry, you'd best get down to business then." Mirei replied. "So you're an acquaintance of Simon's? I'm Nokia Shiramine! It's nice to meet you!" Nokia said. "It's nice to meet you too, Nokia. As you've already heard, my name is Mirei. The healing terminal Simon mentioned is in the upper left. Now you'd best get a move on." Mirei said.

I then took Nokia to the healing terminal and used it and our Digimon were restored to perfect health in a flash! When Nokia saw Garurumon feeling better, she said: "Whoa! That thing really works! I wonder…" and then she tried calling out Greymon and when Greymon appeared, in perfect health, Nokia said: "Wow! That thing is the best for healing Digimon!" I smiled and then said: "Alright. Now that everyone's back to full health, it's time for us to go straight into the hornet's nest. Stay on your toes!" Nokia nodded and on our way out, she turned around and said: "Bye Mirei! I hope I'll have the chance to give a proper introduction next time!" Mirei then grinned and said: "Yes, Nokia Shiramine… I'm looking forward to it."

We then returned to Kowloon and then checked to see if the Demons' Den was available for access… and it was! We then selected it and were teleported off! The next minute, we were inside of a hall with purple walls, purple floors, some screens and a stage in the distance! We ran on in… only to find no one was here! It was completely deserted…

"No! Were we too late?" Nokia said. "Dang… I can't believe Jimiken escaped… and to think of those poor fans… we don't even know what happened to them…" I said. We then heard a: "Who's there?!" and Nokia and I turned to see another tamer and when he saw us, he said: "HEY! How'd you get in here?! You're not in the Demons!" "That's correct. I'm a cyber sleuth and I got the URL for this forum from one of your members." I said. "C-cyber sleuth? You're an investigator?" The tamer said. "In cyber-crime, yes." I said. "Cyber-crime? You think something illegal happened here…? Well too bad for you, it was nothing more than a simple performance for Jimiken's fans." The tamer said. "Oh really? And would you care to say the same thing before the police as well?" I asked.

"Now hold on, I'm serious! It was just a simple show. That's it! Jimiken didn't do a thing to his audience. They just came in, he played and they got all packed up and went home. You can look at our security cameras if you like." The tamer said. "Perhaps I would." I said. "Alright fine. Here…" the tamer said. He took Nokia and me to a back room where there was a machine with multiple screens. He then played footage of the fans arriving, Jimiken warming up the crowd, several songs being performed, Jimiken wrapping it up and then everyone leaving. The cameras showed us arriving not too long thereafter…

Finally, I said: "Hmph, that's weird… how'd everyone end up disappearing then?" "What's that?" the tamer said. I then explained it to him and he said: "Oh, so people have been disappearing? Jimiken never told us anything about that…" "Hmph… well at least I can explain what happened…" I said. I then turned around to Nokia (who looked like she was about to fall asleep out of boredom) and said: "Looks like we've got all we can out of coming here. Let's go, Nokia." "Finally! Alright, I'm more than ready!" Nokia said.

We then left the Demons' Den and came back out in Kowloon. When we arrived, I said: "Thank you for your help in this case, Nokia. You were really an asset in those battles." "Oh thanks. Don't worry about it…" Nokia said. Then she went on: "But what really bothered me is that I saw my friend in that group of people that composed the audience… I'm glad she's okay though." "Definitely…" I said. "So at least we know why those fans went missing, although it's weird that all of those disappearances happened over what turned out to be nothing…" Nokia said. "I know. I can't explain why Jimiken made all of those disappearances, but at least I can let my client know that all of the attendees to Jimiken's little performance are okay… and how they disappeared." I said. "Yeah…" Nokia said. Then she yawned and said: "But man… I'm so bored from watching those security tapes that I've got to go and get some rest. I don't know how you could consistently pay attention during that whole thing, Simon…"

I laughed and said: "You have to be patient in this line of work. But yeah, I'd better go report all of this too. See you again, Nokia, Greymon and Garurumon!" We all then said goodbye and logged out at the terminal. When we were back in the streets of Shinjuku, I E-mailed Kyoko from my phone, asking her if she could E-mail the client to let her know that I was ready to meet with her. I soon got a reply from Kyoko saying that the client could meet in a few hours and replied that that would be fine. I then hurried back to Nakano.

When I arrived, I headed to Kyoko's office and when I came in, she said: "Welcome back Simon. It sounds like your search was a success?" "I'd say so. Is our client going to be coming soon, Kyoko?" I asked. "Our client will be coming in two hours. It looks like you have some downtime, but don't be late to the meeting." Kyoko replied. "Of course not! I'll be back soon." I said.

I then decided to go back to the Digilab. I decided to check if I could digiconvert any new Digimon… and saw there were plenty of options! I decided to digiconvert a Poyomon this time. In a few moments, an egg emerged before me and the Poyomon soon broke down the egg's shell and was standing right there before me! When I saw it, I petted it and said: "I'm happy to see you! My name's Simon and I'll be happy to help you around, no matter where we go!" Poyomon then smiled and rubbed up against my leg. I smiled back when I saw this and I decided to take Poyomon, Jason, Winston, Daisy, Sabrina, Scott and Elena with me (and leave Pepper, Zachary and Larry in the farm island) so I could train Poyomon.

A little later, I went back to the Digilab to see if Poyomon could digivolve and I saw it could! I chose to digivolve it into a Tokomon—a little whitish-pink Digimon that had a circular body with four legs (but no arms) and two ribbon-like ears. It looked 6 inches tall. When I saw this, I said: "Great job digivolving, Tokomon! You're coming along fast!" Tokomon then smiled (revealing a mouth full of big, sharp teeth) and said: "Thank you, Simon! It was fun getting to battle with everyone! I'll keep working hard to return the favor." We smiled and I called him back before I checked what time it was. I still had plenty of time left, so we went back to Kowloon to train.

I then kept training Tokomon and the others until I returned to the Digilab to check how Tokomon was doing—and I found he could digivolve again! I decided to digivolve him into a Falcomon—a bipedal bird Digimon with gray and purple feathers, two wings, two yellow-orange legs, and a yellow-orange beak (he also wore a purple vest). He looked 2'5 tall. When the process ended, I said: "Way to go, Falcomon! You're doing a great job!" Falcomon then smiled and said: "I'm glad you think so! I hope everyone else agrees too!"

We then went back to training. After some more time passed, I returned to the Digilab and saw Falcomon was ready to digivolve again! I proceeded to digivolve him into a Peckmon. I then said: "Outstanding, Peckmon! Great work coming along so fast—you're doing great!" Peckmon smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. I'm all ready to get out there and do more too! Count on it."

I smiled and then said: "That's great! By the way Peckmon, there's something I was hoping to discuss with you too…" and he said: "Yes?" I then then told him about our custom of giving each Digimon a name. When I was done, Peckmon said: "I was wondering why I didn't get a nickname. So what's mine going to be?" We then decided 'Zephyr' would be his name. I then called him back. I then left the Digilab with 20 minutes to spare before the meeting with the client. When I arrived in Kyoko's office, she looked up and said: "Ah, you've come. Good job showing up ahead of schedule. Our client is going to be here soon, so get ready!" I nodded and sat down at one of the sofas. Eventually, the client arrived, and Kyoko said: "Welcome to the Kuremi detective agency, Mrs. Ono. Please have a seat."

"Yes, thank you." She said as she got seated on the sofa across from me. Kyoko then said: "My assistant has gathered information about the disappearances of the children, including your daughter, and will provide you with the details." Mrs. Ono then turned to me and said: "Oh! You know what happened to those kids? Then please tell me!" "Of course. The good news is that nothing happened to your daughter, nor any of the others—they all just went to a performance in a private server where a musician named Jimiken—" I began and then she said: "Jimiken? The song artist my daughter has been listening to?" "Yes. He performed for the audience and let them go. Apparently he was in charge of the sweepstakes too." I said. Then I went on: "Anyway, after all of the youths attending the performance saw the show, they returned home, so they should be coming back soon."

"Oh, thank goodness! Well I'll be sure to keep her from getting involved with anything that has to do with Jimiken in the future. But I'm just glad she's safe! Thank you for your help." Mrs. Ono said. She then paid our fee and left the agency.


	25. Keisuke: Hudie is where the heart is

Keisuke Chapter 13—Hudie is where the heart is—

The next day I went into the office at Hudie. As I went in, I noticed something odd though… Yuri wasn't at the front desk today. Come to think of it… she hadn't been in for a little while. Instead there was a teenage guy filling in for Yuri. Chitose was there though, and he said to the guy: "Huh? Isn't the receptionist here today?" "If you're talking about that Yuri you've got the hots for, she's going to be out for a while." The guy replied. "No way! What's the deal with that?!" Chitose replied. "You tell me. Maybe someone in her family is sick or something?" the guy said.

I then walked past them and went to the cubicles. I logged in and checked the BBS for cases… and much to my surprise, there was one from Yuri! I immediately checked it, and the case itself was rather odd… in it, Yuri was asking us to tell Hudie's owner that she was quitting! I thought I heard Chitose's voice (he must be in a cubicle nearby) as I kept reading. She didn't give any reasons for why she wanted to quit, she just wanted to… I had to admit, this seemed surprising… but at the same time, what was likely the explanation—that Yuri might just be looking for more excitement than being a receptionist and wanted to move on in life—made more sense anyway. In that sense, I suppose it was fair enough, although I wasn't sure why Yuri wanted to avoid the owner…

Nonetheless, I prepared to take the case. Before I did though, I heard someone come running! I turned around to see it was Chitose. As he was coming up, he said: "Keisuke, wait!" "Eh…?" I said. By now, Chitose had arrived and he went on: "Did you take that case the receptionist posted?!" "Not yet, but I was going to—" I began, but then Chitose said: "DON'T!" "…Why?" I asked. "If you take it, we're acknowledging she's quitting! We can't do that!" Chitose said.

"…Isn't it about time you put your crush aside and threw in the towel, Chitose?" I asked. "Wh-what?!" Chitose asked. I then went on: "She probably wants to move on and pursue other goals she has in life. Let her spread her wings already." "B-be quiet! You don't even know if that's her reason yet! Besides, it's suspicious that such a reliable employee would quit all of a sudden, right?!" Chitose asked. "Can you be sure it's like that, though…? Just because she's quitting doesn't make it sudden…" I began and then I paused before I went on: "All the same though, you are right that we don't know the reason—" and Chitose said: "Exactly! So let's find her and ask her what it is before you do anything too hasty!"

"…Alright, I guess I'm in." I said back. Chitose then smiled and said: "Now we're talking! And don't talk to the owner until then either, okay?" "Actually, I don't even know who the owner is…" I replied and Chitose said: "Really? Great! I'll tell you later then!" "Jeez… okay then, let's start searching in EDEN. Someone may have seen Yuri recently." I said. "Good idea! Let's go!" Chitose said. We then asked around in various places, although no one knew any more than we did. Eventually, we came to an area known as the EDEN open space that was a circular balcony and asked around. Eventually we approached a guy and when he saw us, I said: "Good morning." And the guy said: "Hi. What's up?" "We wanted to ask you something—we haven't seen a friend of ours for a while and wanted to know if you knew anything about where she could be." I said.

"A friend of yours, you say? Well who is it?" The guy asked. "Her name is Yuri Kashiwagi. Have you heard anything about her?" I asked. "Oh, Yuri Kashiwagi? Yeah, I've heard of her. She's with the Nakano Stripes. She's so nice, they say she doesn't fit in with the crowd." The guy said. As soon as I heard this, I started to feel uncomfortable. Yuri was in another hacker team? This may explain her reason for quitting… and now I saw a lot of potential for this to go wrong…

"Uh-oh…" I said quietly as Chitose said: "What?! Yuri's a hacker? And she's with the Nakano Stripes?" "Yeah. Apparently they've set up camp in Under Kowloon level 3 lately. If you hurry, you may find her there." the guy said. "That's useful information. Thank you, you've been very helpful." I said. "Eh… you're welcome I guess." The guy said. Chitose and I then walked away and soon he said: "I can't believe Yuri's been in another team all this time… but at least we have an idea of where she is! Now all we've got to do is bust in there and find her!"

"…Chitose, can I make a suggestion?" I asked. "Of course! What is it?" He replied. "Why don't you leave the job of talking to Yuri to me? I see a lot of potential for this to end in tears otherwise." I said. Chitose then looked surprised and said: "Huh?! But… why?!" "If Yuri's in two teams at once, that likely makes her a spy for someone… either us… or the Nakano Stripes. If the unthinkable is true and she is a spy for the Nakano stripes, well…" I began and Chitose looked discouraged before he suddenly beamed and said: "I'm not worried. I'm actually all fired up now!" "…Are you sure you're ready for what may come?" I asked. "Jeez, you don't understand romances at all, do you Keisuke?! People whose leaders are fighting each other are always attracted to each other! I mean, look at Romeo and Juliet! Their houses were warring with each other and they met with true love, didn't they?!" Chitose asked. "…They also died, Chitose…" I said. Chitose was starting to look annoyed now and he finally said: "…Do you always have to be such a wet blanket?! I ought to wring that excess moisture right out of you! But for now, let's continue as planned! Get ready my dear Yuriet, here I come!" and he ran off… I shook my head before I followed him and we went to Under Kowloon level 3.

Once we arrived, we proceeded through (noticing some Nakano Stripes members throughout) until we went quite a ways in and eventually came to an area with a hierarchy of floating blocks scattered around. We explored them… and eventually came up on one with Yuri and a Digimon! The Digimon looked like an angel, with a white full-body garment with white boots, a black belt with a sun belt buckle (and a lavender cloth streaming down from it that went down to its ankles). It had a lavender-colored rope coiled around its left leg and another on its right arm (it also had a sun-shaped shoulder pad on that arm). It had a dark gray helmet over its head that covered its eyes and held a golden rod in its left hand. It had six white wings, waist length brown hair and looked rather muscular. It looked 5'7 tall.

Chitose and I then ran in. As we approached them, I heard Yuri say to the Digimon: "I'm sorry that things turned out like this, Angemon…" and then the Digimon—Angemon—shook his head before he said: "Yuri… are you really sure about the path you've chosen? It doesn't have to end this way." Chitose then yelled: "Yuriiiiiii!" Yuri then turned around and when she saw us, she said: "Eh? Chitose? And Keisuke? What are you doing here?" "Yuri… we noticed a case you left on the BBS—" I began and then Yuri said: "Oh… right." I then said: "Please tell us, Yuri—why are you quitting all of a sudden?"

"Well the truth is… I don't feel like I can show my face there." Yuri replied. "Huh?" Chitose and I said together. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but… I'm actually in the Nakano Stripes—" Yuri began and then I said: "We heard." Yuri then smiled shyly and said: "Ah, so you found out, huh? You're very resourceful. But yes, it's true—I'm in another team. I originally joined the Nakano Stripes to try and make something of myself and have a real adventure and later joined Hudie to make some extra money, but… I saw I was doing it wrong." "Huh?" I said.

"I really didn't fit in with the Nakano Stripes… everyone always said I was too nice and made me feel like a stranger. But at Hudie, everyone was normal, nice and hard-working… it felt like such a nice environment. It didn't take long before I liked being in Hudie more than I liked being in the Nakano Stripes. But as I realized this, I began to worry about my partner, Angemon…" Yuri said. "Yuri?" Chitose asked. Yuri then went on: "I was using his power to advance the interests of a group of idiots like the Nakano Stripes… I was trying to raise him to be nice, just and morally good, but I was always putting him in the company of people with short tempers and frustrated faces… I was really starting to worry about how I was raising him and what he was learning… and I felt like a failure as a tamer. That's why I decided to quit both teams, set Angemon free and stop hacking."

"Erm, tell me this… you've clearly outlined why you want to quit the Nakano Stripes… but why do you feel like you have to quit Hudie?" I asked. "The Nakano Stripes might suspect me of being a spy and feeding you information about them… and I wouldn't be surprised if they would try to retaliate as a result. At least this way they won't wage war on Hudie if it comes to that." Yuri replied. "Come on Yuri, you think we want a member of our team to feel like that?! We make a point of standing by our teammates, whether it's Ryuji, Erika, Keisuke or you! You belong with us!" Chitose said. "Right. Besides, your talents could get you work as more than a receptionist…" I began and then Yuri looked intrigued as she looked at me and I went on: "You only applied for work as a receptionist—you never let anyone know that you have hacking skills. If you'd let the owner know, they would surely put you on staff as one of the hackers in Hudie, especially since there are so few now! We would welcome your help and we always take full responsibility for everyone at Hudie, no matter who it is or what they struggle with! Stop grandstanding and trying to carry the weight of this on your shoulders alone."

"Guys…" Yuri said. But just then we heard an unfamiliar voice say: "Well, well, look at this…" Yuri then looked panicked and said: "Ulp?!" before we saw… a member of the Nakano Stripes come up to Yuri and she said: "First thing I hear you're leaving the team, then I see you sneaking off with Hudie… I didn't think you'd sink so low, Yuri." "Stop! I didn't ask them to come! I'm giving up hacking, so you can stop this madness right now!" Yuri said. "I'm not falling for that. Get over here!" The Nakano Stripes member said—and she grabbed Yuri and pulled her over!

I frowned (and Chitose looked absolutely furious) as he said: "HEY! Hands off, you bastard! Who do you think you are?!" The Nakano Stripes member then looked up at us and said: "This is our business, Hudie. You can leave now." "We won't just stand by and let you treat her like that!" Chitose said. "Exactly. The moment you touched her… it became our business." I said firmly. "Hmph. So be it. I'll teach you to try and scam us!" The Nakano Stripes member said.

She then called out three Digimon… one was a Digimon like a flower fairy who wore a yellow top with petal-like sides around the shoulders (and green lines around the hips), with a rose on her chest that had green bordering lines around what was like the stem of the rose. She had pale pink sleeves that covered her whole arms (with rounded shoulders) and pants of the same color. Both had white flower petal-like ends, although they both also looked longer than her arms and legs themselves—I saw no hands come out from her sleeves or feet come out from pants. She had two sets of wings that looked like magenta flower petals with white ends and a hat that was like an upside-down magenta flower. She had yellow green hair that went down to the bottom of her neck and looked 4'6 tall, although she was flying above the ground, making her appear taller. The next was a Devimon, and the last one was a humanoid insect Digimon… it walked on two legs and had green flesh (except for on its forearms, thighs, feet and much of its waist, which were all colored black) and four clear wings, as well as black shoulder pads with silver spikes. It had red hair down to the bottom of its neck and green-and-red ribbon-like antennae that flopped backward and red eyes. It looked very muscular and looked 6 feet tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I looked at it. It said: "Left to right: Lilamon scan data: 10%, Devimon scan data: 15%, Stingmon scan data: 15%". It also said Lilamon was a data Digimon, Devimon was a virus Digimon and Stingmon was a free typed Digimon, so I called out Ginryumon, BlueGreymon and BlackGatomon. Chitose then called out his Digimon—it was a dinosaur-like Digimon that walked on four legs. It had a tail with a mace ball on the end and an enormous shell on its back with spikes all over the sides. It even had a helmet-like shell over its head with spikes. It was colored yellow with a purple underbelly. It looked 6'5 tall.

The Nakano Stripes member then grinned and said: "Alright, I'll trample my way right over you to Yuri!" Chitose then replied by saying: "It's my hackin' business!" Both the Nakano Stripes member and I then stood up straight with blank looks on our faces. The Nakano Stripes member then said: "What…?" before she suddenly held her head up and smirked as she said: "Oh, is that that stupid saying that's Hudie's motto? Ha! You idiots… sure can pick 'em." "It is not stupid!" Chitose said back. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "It's pretty much the same thing as saying: 'mind your own business'. I coined the phrase!" Chitose said. "Well no wonder then…" the Nakano Stripes member said.

Chitose then looked annoyed, but then we saw Angemon come running in! "Angemon! Are you going to help us?" Chitose asked. "Of course! That's my tamer!" Angemon said. Chitose then grinned and said: "I like this guy! Loyal and serious about what he does!" Alright, that's enough. If you guys won't hit first, I will! Lilamon, lila shower!" The Nakano Stripes member said. Lilamon then said: "Lila shower!" and blasted all of our Digimon with pink beams of light from her hands. Ginryumon took it pretty hard too! I then said: "Ginryumon, give BlueGreymon a boost! Attack charge! BlackGatomon, use power energy 2 on Lilamon!" Ginryumon then said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on BlueGreymon that strengthened his damage output with non-magic attacks. BlackGatomon then said: "Power energy 2!" and made an explosion of gray energy engulf Lilamon. Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, help the team out! Guard charge field!" and Ankylomon said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell on our Digimon that boosted their damage resistance to non-magic attacks.

The Nakano Stripes member then said: "Devimon, wipe out that Ginryumon! Death claw!" and Devimon said: "Death claw!" and ran forward before he grabbed Ginryumon and purple energy flowed into Devimon before he threw Ginryumon down. It looked unexpectedly effective though, even though Devimon was disadvantaged as a virus Digimon… Stingmon then said: "Spiking strike!" and he leapt at Ankylomon and conjured a blade from his wrist that he hit Ankylomon with. Ginryumon was already starting to look a little worn down, but luckily, Angemon said: "X-heal!" and cast a spell on Ginryumon that completely undid the damage that he had taken! "Alright! Way to go, Angemon!" I said. He grinned back as the Nakano Stripes member then said: "Hmph… leave it to Yuri to raise such an annoying Digimon." BlueGreymon then said: "Bit fire!" and spat three fireballs at Lilamon—and she looked like she had taken a real pounding by the time she got back up! "Way to go, BlueGreymon! That's how you do it!" I said.

"Stingmon, Devimon, get rid of that BlueGreymon! Use death claw and spiking strike!" The Nakano Stripes member said. Stingmon and Devimon then ganged up on him, but he was still doing fine when he recovered. I then said: "Ginryumon, hit Devimon hard! Metal armor blade! BlueGreymon, hit Lilamon with another bit fire!" and Ginryumon said: "Metal armor blade!" and he spat a spear at Devimon! Devimon took it hard too! BlueGreymon then burned Lilamon with more fireballs. The Nakano Stripes tamer then said: "Okay Lilamon, it's time to give them a taste of their own medicine! Aura—" and then Chitose said: "I don't think so! Ankylomon, hit Lilamon! Shock!" and Ankylomon said: "Shock!" and leapt at Lilamon and swiped at her with one of his front feet and she fell on her knees, looking down at the ground! "Wh-what?!" The Nakano Stripes member said and I said: "Nice one, Chitose!" He grinned back before Angemon said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and he drew his fist back as it started to shine before he projected a beam of light from it that hit Devimon. Devimon took it pretty hard too! BlackGatomon then said: "Power energy 2!" and blasted Lilamon with gray energy again!

I then said: "Alright, this is your chance BlueGreymon and BlackGatomon! Finish off Lilamon! Use bit fire and nightmare 2!" and BlackGatomon said: "Nightmare 2!" and dark purple energy formed at Lilamon's head and burst as BlueGreymon said: "Bit fire!" and burned Lilamon with fireballs! Lilamon then fell on her back and didn't recover—she was down! The Nakano Stripes member then looked shocked as she called Lilamon back. She then said: "Devimon, use death claw on Angemon! Stingmon, get BlackGatomon with spiking strike!" and they did so before Chitose said: "Ankylomon, use awesome quake 2!" and Ankylomon said: "Awesome quake 2!" and caused a giant boulder to form between Devimon and Stingmon and the ground started to shake before the boulder burst and rained down rock shards on Devimon and Stingmon. I then said: "Ginryumon, boost BlueGreymon again! Attack charge!" and Ginryumon gave him another boost, further powering him up and resetting the time until the boost would expire. Angemon then hit Devimon with another heaven's knuckle—now he was really looking beat!

Chitose then said: "Alright, finish off Devimon, Ankylomon! Tail hammer!" and Ankylomon said: "Tail hammer!" as he swung the mace ball on his tail at Devimon! He squarely smacked Devimon with it and sent him flying on his back, but he wouldn't get up either! The Nakano Stripes member then called back Devimon as she said: "Stingmon, drop the Angemon, quick! Spiking strike!" and Stingmon hit him before Angemon healed himself again using X-heal. The Nakano Stripes member looked devastated as I said: "BlueGreymon, get him with another Bit fire! BlackGatomon, hit him with nightmare 2! Ginryumon, boost yourself! Critical charge!" and BlueGreymon and BlackGatomon attacked again while Ginryumon said: "Critical charge!" and cast a spell on himself that made it easier for him to identify enemy weak points.

"Stingmon, use mach rush 2!" the Nakano Stripes member said. Stingmon then said: "Mach rush 2!" and charged at our Digimon fast before crashing into them and causing a shockwave that knocked them down. When they got back up, Chitose said: "Ankylomon, boost everyone again! Guard charge field!" and Ankylomon said: "Guard charge field!" and raised everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks again. "BlueGreymon, use bit fire! Ginryumon, hit Stingmon with heavy strike 2! BlackGatomon, use lightning paw!" I said and Ginryumon said: "Heavy strike 2!" before he flew in and struck Stingmon with his claws. As soon as he flew off, BlackGatomon leapt at Stingmon and swiped at him with her claws and when she ran off, BlueGreymon blasted him with fireballs! Stingmon looked about ready to drop after this, so Angemon said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining, exploding cross appear where Stingmon was and it knocked him down—and he was finished! We won!

The Nakano Stripes member then backed up and said: "Dyah! You Hudie dogs have more bite than your appearance would suggest…" and Chitose looked furious as he said: "Shut it!" and then brought up a screen of data before he pressed a few keys and it disappeared. The Nakano Stripes member then said: "Huh? What…?" and Chitose then said: "You'd best be good and take off now. I'd hate to have to hack you, although that would be kind of fun too…" and the Nakano Stripes member looked panicked before she said: "Eek!" and ran away.

Chitose, Angemon and I were all really excited and Angemon said: "YES! We did it!" "And we were an awesome team! Everyone knocked out an opponent, helped each other equally and each played an important role in the battle! We all did a great job!" Chitose said. "Well said, Chitose! We're all a lot stronger together and that was a performance to be proud of!" I said.

Yuri then approached us and said: "Guys, thank you so much… I can't believe you went that far." I smiled and said: "It was our pleasure." Yuri grinned and then said: "I just hope nothing comes of this…" before Chitose said: "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Yuri suddenly looked more serious before she said: "What…? What do you mean?" "I said 'I'd hate to have to hack her', but the truth is I already did. I installed malware on her phone, so she'll regret it if she tries anything. So don't worry, Yuri!" Chitose said. "Wow… I never thought you'd go so far…" Yuri said. "It's like Keisuke said: the moment they touched you it became our business and we take that kind of stuff very personally." Chitose said.

Yuri then smiled and said: "Thank you all so much… really. I feel so much more at home with all of you—" and then Chitose said: "Then stay with us!" "Well… okay, I will stay. If it was just because you wanted to keep hitting on me like you've been doing, I'd refuse, but if you all really want me, I'll be happy to stay." Yuri said. "Alright! Now we're talking! And does that mean you're going to be looking at a promotion to a hacker's position, Yuri?" I asked. She smiled and said: "Definitely. But I think I'm going to take my time before I consider a promotion into a hacker's position. But because of that…" she said and then she turned to Chitose and said: "Can I ask a favor of you, Chitose?" "Of course! What is it?" Chitose asked. "Would you look after Angemon for me?" Yuri asked. "HUH? Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm not going to be a hacker right away, Angemon would have nothing to do for a long time, and I don't want him to be bored. That's why I was hoping you'd look after him, Chitose. He seemed to like fighting at your side too, right Angemon?" Yuri asked and Angemon said: "Yes, absolutely." Chitose then smiled and said: "Really? Thank you so much. I promise I'll take extra special care of him." Yuri then smiled and said: "Well there we go!" and then she turned to Angemon and said: "Take care, okay Angemon?" "Of course I will, Yuri. And remember: no matter where I go, I'll always be with you in your heart." Angemon said. "I know, Angemon." Yuri said. She then smiled before she said: "Do your best and stay happy! I know you'll do great!" "Of course!" Angemon replied.

We all smiled and then logged out of Kowloon. When we got back into Hudie, Yuri said: "Thanks again guys. I'll send you both payment for what you did—" and then I said: "Huh? But we didn't even take the case…" "It doesn't matter. You both deserve to be rewarded for what you did for Angemon and me. I'll delete the case too, since it's no longer necessary. Thanks again! I'm looking forward to the day I can be a hacker alongside you two." Yuri said. And she waved before she went off.

When she was gone, Chitose smiled and said: "Ha ha! That was great! That was really nice of Yuri to give me her Digimon and we kept an important member of Hudie! Life is good!" "Well said, Chitose." I said. "And thanks to you too for your help, Keisuke. That was great!" Chitose said back. "Thank you. It was really fun getting to do that well with you and Angemon. It's rare for a team to be that coordinated, and it was a lot of fun." I said. "Yup! That was one awesome battle we had!" Chitose said. I then went on: "Well, seeing as how we've resolved the case, would you mind telling me who the owner is now?" "No problem. The owner is Erika." Chitose said back. "Wh-what?" I said. "Hey, what's with the disbelief? Do you doubt your own teammate?" Chitose said. "…No, but at the same time, I don't understand how something like that would happen…" I said. "Erika founded Hudie, so it's only natural that she reserves that right. Besides, didn't you wonder why she was an administrative specialist?" Chitose said. "…I did." I said back. "Heh… rather blunt… but that's the connection: Erika manages Hudie as its owner. So, satisfied now?" Chitose asked. "Yup." I said back. "Great! Then let's get back to work!" Chitose said. I nodded and we went back to work.

I checked the BBS, but with Yuri's case wrapped up, there weren't any more left… I then decided to go to the Digilab instead. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and decided to check if any of my Digimon could digivolve… and I found that BlueGreymon, BlueCoredramon and Kyubimon all could! I was excited and took Crescemon and Angewomon out of the farm island and called everyone out before Ginryumon said: "Ah, it looks like we're all out again… and that means somebody's going to be digivolving, right?" "Exactly! More of you are ready to digivolve into ultimate Digimon!" I said. "Great! So who will be joining Crescemon and I now?" Angewomon asked. "BlueGreymon, BlueCoredramon and Kyubimon!" I said back. "Alright! I knew this day would come!" BlueGreymon said. "Yeah, me too! I'm more than ready!" BlueCoredramon said. "All of our adventures have been so fun, and now that I'm going to digivolve from all we did… I'm so excited!" Kyubimon said. "Right on! BlueGreymon, would you care to go first?" I asked. "Would I ever!" he said back. We all laughed and I started the process up.

I decided to digivolve BlueGreymon into a BlueMetalGreymon. His body became a colorless wireframe and then he digivolved into a BlueMetalGreymon—a gigantic blue dinosaur Digimon that had metal over his head (above his upper jaws) with horns underneath the metal going sideways from the top of his head and he had short red hair. He also had a chest plate that was made of metal too. HisTheir right arm even was made of metal from the elbow down, with sharp, pointy claws jutting out of the hand! He had blue toenails (as well as blue claws on his left hand), purple wings on his back and was about 8'6 tall. When the process ended, I said: "Way to go, BlueMetalGreymon! I know you'll do a great job in the future with your new powers!" and he said: "You can count on that! I'm going to keep advancing right to the top!" I smiled and nodded and he went off with the others.

I then digivolved BlueCoredramon into a Wingdramon. When the process was complete, he looked like a flying dragon with blue scales. He had two legs, two arms (with frills that had magenta horizontal stripes on them), a long tail, a skull over his head with magenta nose tusks, yellow-orange horns and yellow-orange cilia. He also had a white chest plate and had a giant blue wing on his back that looked like a paraglider with a spike coming through the middle that had an orange tip. He held two yellow balls in his hands had yellow nails and toenails and a magenta colored frill down his back. He looked 6 feet tall.

I then said: "Alright, Wingdramon! A job well done digivolving!" Wingdramon then smiled and said: "Thanks Keisuke! I'm all ready to get any job done, whatever it may be!" "I like your attitude, Wingdramon! Let's keep it up!" I said. "We will! I know it!" he said. He then flew off with the others.

Finally, I digivolved Kyubimon into a Taomon. She walked on two legs and was wearing a white sweater-like garment with sleeves that appeared to be longer than her arms were and there were various symbols on her sweater-like garment. She also wore purple pants and stood on her bare feet, which were two white paws. She had yellow fur with pointed ears and her face was yellow and furry too, with some black markings and she had an Asian style hat on her head. She looked 5'10 tall.

After she was done digivolving, I said: "Congratulations, Taomon! You've come a long way!" and Taomon said: "Thank you, Keisuke. I'm still learning, but I'm ready to do even better for you and everyone else!" I was still proud of her attitude. I smiled and she went off with the others. From there, I trained them until the end of the day.


	26. Keisuke: Beauty, in and out

Keisuke Chapter 14—Beauty, in and out—

The next day, I went to the BBS and checked for new cases… but I saw we _still_ didn't have any in. That was too bad… I decided to go to the Digilab and see if I could digiconvert any new Digimon instead. I checked and saw that there were a few I could! I decided to digiconvert a Tsumemon. An egg then appeared before me and soon it hatched into a Tsumemon! When I saw it, I smiled and picked it up as I said: "Hi there! I'm happy to have you with me! My name's Keisuke and I'll be glad to look out for you from here on out!" and the Tsumemon smiled (or at least looked happy based on how its eye looked anyway—since Tsumemon didn't have a mouth, it was hard to tell) before I added it to my phone and took it to Kowloon to train it up.

After a while, I came back to the Digilab and checked to see if Tsumemon could digivolve. I was happy to see it could! I then chose for Tsumemon to digivolve into a Dracmon. Tsumemon then became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a Dracmon—a short Digimon that walked on two legs and had purple shoes with red toenails coming through them. Its legs were black and it had gray skin all over (except its head and neck, which were also black. It had red blades coming out of its forearms and blue wings that were around its chest and held in place by a jewel with gold hooks. It had a black band around its left bicep and black-and-white wristbands. It had patterns like eyes on its face (the left one was red and the right one was green), but its actual eyes were in the palms of its hands! The left one was red and the right one was green. It had long red nails and looked 1'11 tall.

When the process ended, I smiled and said: "Alright, Dracmon! You already digivolved to the rookie level! You're doing great!" Dracmon then smiled shyly and said: "Thanks Keisuke… I'll keep at it for sure! I'm looking forward to digivolving again." I smiled and then called her back before I prepared to leave, but then decided to digiconvert another Digimon. This time, I made it a Poyomon. When the Poyomon hatched, I picked it up and stroked it before I said: "Welcome to the world, buddy! I'm Keisuke and I'll be happy to help you out!" Poyomon then smiled and I went back out into Kowloon with it, Dracmon and the others.

A little while later, I returned to the Digilab and checked to see if any more of my Digimon could digivolve… and I was happy to find that Poyomon could do so! I then digivolved it into a Tokomon—a little whitish-pink Digimon that had a circular body with four legs (but no arms), two ribbon-like ears and two eyes and a mouth. It looked 6 inches tall. I then smiled and said: "Congratulations, Tokomon! You're already doing a great job and you're coming along fast!" Tokomon then grinned and said: "Thank you, Keisuke! I'll keep doing my best for everyone!" and I grinned and said: "I know you will. You'll be great too." Tokomon then smiled (revealing some unexpectedly large fangs in her mouth) and I called her back. I then went out to Kowloon again to train them.

I had fun training my Digimon (including Dracmon and Tokomon) but soon I got a phone call. I checked and saw it was from Ryuji! I then picked it up and said: "Hello?" and Ryuji said: "Hey Keisuke, it's me. A new case has come in, and it's one big assignment. I wanted you to help with it—are you available right now?" "Yes, I am. Let me log out of Kowloon and I'll be right there." I said. "Great. You can meet me and Erika in her office. See you soon." Ryuji said. We then hung up and I turned around and went all the way back to the entrance and logged out.

When I was back in Hudie, I went straight to Erika's office and knocked. "Come in." Erika said. I then entered and Ryuji said: "Ah, there you are. You got here pretty quick. Nice work." "Thank you, Ryuji. So what's this big case that you were talking about?" I asked. "This one is from Zaxon and it's no ordinary assignment… they want us to hack the cyber crimes investigation unit server." Ryuji said. My eyes then widened and I said: "The cyber crimes investigation server… but the police are in charge of that!" "Exactly." Ryuji said back. "Why…? Why would Zaxon want us to target them?" I asked. "They believe that the higher-ups in that server may have tried to cover up an illicit deal an enemy of theirs made with another company known as the 'Nile Corporation'. So they want us to get in there and get some solid proof." Ryuji said.

I was a little surprised when I heard this… Ryuji then went on: "So to get into that server, we're going to need to use the talents of everyone here at Hudie. The first step is getting our hands on the login information of an authorized person from that unit." "And that's going to be dangerous business… we'd better proceed carefully." I said. "Not exactly. Ryuji and I have a plan for that, but we'll need your help." Erika said. "Okay… so how can I do that?" I asked. "I'll need your avatar data. I was planning on modding it into a Terriermon—" Ryuji said and then I said: "Wh-what?! For how long?!" "Only for the mission. The idea would be to also install malware into it so anyone who touches it has their account data stolen. That's how we're going to get the login information." Ryuji said. "Jeez… to think I'm going to have to walk around in a Terriermon's body for that whole time…" I began and then Erika said: "It's all temporary and an important part of the mission. You're not going to be a Terriermon for the rest of your life, okay? Jeez…"

Ryuji then nodded and I said: "Okay, so if we're going to get an officer to touch me, how are we going to get one there in the first place?" "I've arranged a meeting with one already. Her name is Makiko Date. She's at the level where getting her account information could get us in. I'm going to be talking with her under the guise that I'm giving her information on a group of hackers who have been up to illicit activity—which I can prove too—in order to meet with her." Ryuji said. He then went on: "We've worked out a variety of back up plans as well. The only problem is that we need someone from outside of Hudie to play one role… but we're not sure who we can trust." I then stopped and thought… I didn't have too many friends I'd be willing to enlist in this, but… maybe Yu could help us. "Well… I may have one possibility." I replied. Erika and Ryuji looked up before I said: "I have a very loyal friend who is a student. He'd be totally unknown and a loyal helper."

"…Alright, then try contacting him." Ryuji said. "Sure. But before I do, when is this meeting going to be so I can tell him?" I asked. "It'll be in a week, at 5 in the afternoon." Ryuji said. "That should work for him too. Alright, I'll be back." I said. I then left Erika's office and tried calling Yu. In a moment, I heard him say: "Hello?" "Hi Yu. It's Keisuke." I said. "Oh Keisuke, hey! Thanks for calling again. What's your latest success story in Hudie?" Yu asked. I smiled when I heard this. Getting to talk to a friend at times like these was always a breath of fresh air. I told Yu about my recent accomplishment helping Ciel and Blanc (since I knew better than to tell him about Yuri's case, since that was Hudie's business). "Wow, that sounds neat! I didn't know Digimon were up to so much in Kowloon!" Yu said. "Yup. But Yu…" I said and he said: "Yes?"

"There's a new case I could use your help with. We need someone to help us create a distraction so we can get a target's login information." I said. "…Aw cool! I'd love to finally have a chance to help you with your work! Count me in!" Yu said. I smiled and said: "Thanks, Yu. Well as long as you're in, this is going to take place in a week at 5 P.M. We also wanted to meet with you at Hudie's office to discuss more details before the time comes. When can you come by?" "I can be there tomorrow at 10 in the morning." Yu said. "Thank you, Yu. I'll send you the address so you can meet us there. See you tomorrow!" I said.

We then wrapped up the conversation and hung up. I sent Yu our address first thing after it was over and kept working. The next day, Yu came to our office at the appointed time and we invited him into Erika's office with Ryuji, Erika and I. When Yu was seated, I said: "Everyone, this is Yu. He's my friend and a talented student at my school." "Hi! Nice to meet you all!" Yu said. Ryuji nodded and said: "So you're the friend Keisuke told us about. Well thank you for being willing to come out here and help us—" and then Yu said: "Hey, after all that Keisuke's told me about what he does here, I couldn't wait to get a piece of the action!"

Ryuji then grinned before he said: "Alright, so let's get started. The target is Officer Makiko Date—" and then Yu said: "Whoa! O-officer?!" He then turned to me and said: "You didn't tell me the target was with the police!" "Sorry Yu! But don't worry—we've got our bases covered. You won't be at risk to get in any trouble." I said. "Oh, I'll still do it anyway. I'm just surprised to hear what you're getting yourselves into…" Yu said. "Well as long as that's sorted out, I'll continue. As I was saying, we're going to be trying to get her to make physical contact with Keisuke—" Ryuji said and then Yu said: "What? How exactly?"

Ryuji then retold the details of our plan to him and by the end Yu looked shocked and said: "You're going to mod Keisuke's avatar into a Digimon?! I never thought that was even possible!" "Only temporarily. He's not going to be like that every time he logs into EDEN. Calm down." Erika said. "Er-right. But where do I come into this, then?" Yu asked. "We're going to use you as a backup. The plan is to have Ryuji distract Makiko while Keisuke tries to sneak up on her and make physical contact with her somehow. But in the event that she spots Keisuke before he succeeds, we want you to come in and act like you're his tamer and ask her to give him back to you." Erika said.

"Not a bad idea! But what if she says no?" Yu asked. Erika then ran over the other scenarios she had prepared and said: "Also, I'm going to be giving you a special Bluetooth headpiece. I'll use it to relay instructions to you in real time, so you won't be blindsided." "Well… okay! It sounds like it'll be exciting!" Yu said. "Excellent. Then we'll all meet up in the EDEN Community Area and get situated 15 minutes early in 6 days. Alright everyone, dismissed!" Ryuji said.

I continued to train my Digimon and take on cases. I kept switching out my Digimon that were in the farm island and went back and forth from checking on them. One day though, I saw Dracmon by the water's edge on the island and she was looking down at the water, looking gloomy… I approached her and saw she was looking at her reflection… "Dracmon? Are you okay?" I asked. Dracmon then looked a little startled before she turned around and said: "Oh! Hi Keisuke…" "What is it? You looked pretty glum…" I said.

"…Well the truth is that I feel ugly, and that's really making me feel depressed…" Dracmon said. "You're not ugly, Dracmon." I said back. She then frowned and said: "Look at me, Keisuke! My eyes are in the palms of my hands, I have black-on-gray skin like a gorilla and I've got these ugly folded wings… now that I've seen myself enough times, there's nothing I like about how I look…" she then looked down before she went on: "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have said that, but it felt good to get it off my chest. I hope I can digivolve into something pretty next time, but I don't think that's possible when all I can digivolve into are Digimon like Devimon and Sangloupmon…" and she sighed and said: "Being pretty didn't work out this time, and it probably won't the next time… but I hope it will someday." "Don't worry Dracmon. We'll find a way to make it work!" I said. Dracmon then smiled a little and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. You're really a breath of fresh air, with your good attitude. I'll keep working hard too, so I'll be ready sooner!"

When the conversation wrapped up, I walked away feeling a little worried myself. I had no idea I had caused Dracmon that kind of distress by digivolving her as I had, but at least she told me what was wrong so I could fix it the next time. I kept going as I had for that day and on the next day, I checked to see if my Digimon could digivolve… and it said Dracmon and Tokomon could! I then got everyone out (including the Digimon on the farm island) and when they were all there, Tokomon said: "What are we all doing here, Keisuke?" "I've got some good news for you, which is that you can digivolve, Dracmon and Tokomon!" I said. Tokomon then jumped up and said: "Really? Yay!" while Dracmon looked a little apprehensive before I said: "So let's get started. Dracmon, we'll do you first." And then she stepped forward.

I then checked what Digimon Dracmon would digivolve into. Many of them were Digimon as Dracmon had said (and were the kinds she wouldn't regard as attractive…) but I kept looking… and saw Sistermon Ciel was one of the options! "Oh, this is perfect!" I said. Dracmon then looked up and said: "What is?" "I found a digivolution you'll really like, Dracmon! It's called Sistermon Ciel!" I said. "Really? Is it a pretty Digimon?" Dracmon asked. "Yup! It's definitely the best option out of the ones that you can digivolve into." I said. "Then let's go with it! If that's what you say, I'm behind you all the way, Keisuke!" Dracmon said. "Alright!" I said.

I then initiated the digivolution and Dracmon became a colorless wireframe before she reshaped into a Sistermon Ciel. When the process was over, she looked thrilled when she saw herself. I smiled and said: "Is this what you were hoping for, Ciel?" "Yes! This is a lot more along the lines of what I had in mind!" Ciel said. She was smiling widely like I hadn't seen her do since she was an in-training Digimon… She then turned back to me and said: "Thank you, Keisuke! I can finally feel proud when I look into a mirror now!" she then set her pistols down and came up and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back before she let go, went back and picked them up again.

"Well, I'd say that was a success. Now then Tokomon, would you care to go next?" I asked. "You bet!" Tokomon said. I then checked the options for what she could digivolve into… and interestingly, I saw that Sistermon Blanc was an option! I decided to give it a go. I digivolved Tokomon and she became a colorless wireframe before she reshaped into a Sistermon Blanc. When the process ended, she said: "Wow! This is certainly ironic…" and Ciel said: "Yeah, another Sistermon! Not that I mind! I feel like I'm part of a new wave here!" and everyone laughed. Blanc then said: "I don't mind, of course. If Keisuke chose this for me to digivolve into, I'm behind it all the way!" I smiled and said: "Alright then! Now that everyone's all digivolved as much as they can be, let's keep up the good work!" Everyone cheered and we went back to training and taking cases.

The next day was the big day we were waiting for… Yu arrived at Hudie before we logged into EDEN… and I logged into my Digimon avatar. When we were there, Ryuji and Yu stood there… as did I, down by their knees. Now that I was in the body of a Terriermon, I was a small rabbit-like Digimon that walked on two legs and had two arms, two eyes, two giant ears that were taller than I was and one horn at the top of my head. I had tan fur, but the fur around my ears was green and I also had a bandana-shaped area of fur around my neck that had green fur too. I felt about 1'4 tall.

"Well, we're all here now, so we'd best get seated until the appointed time." Ryuji said. "Yup!" Yu said. Then he turned to me and said: "Come along, Terriermon!" "Okay!" I said. Even my voice sounded like a child's… I guess Ryuji must have modded that too. Not that I cared. My voice wouldn't sound typical of a Terriermon's anyway. Yu and I then walked off to a distant bench while Ryuji went to a different one. We waited, until we saw a police officer come into the area… she had a light blue uniform and a navy-blue skirt as well as long brown hair with some rather bad-looking bangs that were in her eyes… she eventually looked around and then Ryuji stood up and said: "Ah, officer Date. Thank you for coming." "Um… yeah, sure…" Makiko said. She then went on: "So you must be Ryuji Mishima, right?" "That's correct." Ryuji said. "So I heard you had some information you wanted to give me that you got about those Dinosaurists punks, right?" Makiko asked. "That's right. Let me start from the beginning…" Ryuji said.

And then he began to talk to Makiko. I waited until Makiko looked like she was heavily focusing on what Ryuji was saying and then slipped in. I tried to get in, but soon Makiko (unfortunately) turned around and yet when she saw me, her face lit up and she said: "Wow! What an adorable Digimon!" I smiled and said: "Thank you! You're a nice lady!" "What kind of Digimon are you, exactly?" Makiko asked. "I'm a Terriermon. I may be little, but I'm a hard worker! I do my best every day." I said. Makiko laughed warmly and said: "I'm sure you do. Ooh, you're so cute! You've got to let me pet your ears sometime! I'll bet they're so soft…"

It looks like I've got an open opportunity! The only criteria were that I had to make physical contact with Makiko… that being said, it shouldn't matter whether or not I initiate it myself. I then pretended to look nervous as I said: "O-okay, but be gentle…" "Oh, so you'll let me? Thank you!" Makiko said. She then started petting them and I trembled a bit, but forced myself to stay still. Those were more sensitive than even I thought they would be! Makiko didn't even look like she was exerting that much force, either…

This went on for a bit before Makiko petted me on my head and said: "Say, do you want to come with me, Terriermon? I'll bet you'd make a great partner solving crimes!" "Thank you, but I already have a tamer. I'd better get back to him actually—I don't want him to worry!" I said. "Aw well… alright, then hurry home Terriermon! And tell your tamer to take better care of you and not lose sight of you!" Makiko said. I smiled and said: "Okay, thanks! Goodbye, nice lady!" and I waved with one of my hands (and ears) before I went off. I then heard Makiko say: "Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me there…" and Ryuji say: "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Now then, as I was saying…" and I soon made it back to Yu, but I heard every word they were saying as I went. Terriermon sure have powerful hearing! When Yu saw me, he nodded and said: "Let's go back." And I nodded back before we went away and logged out. When we returned to Hudie, I was so relieved to be back in my own body again… Yu then said: "Great work! Looks like the mission was a success!" "Yup. That was pretty awkward though…" I said. Yu laughed before he said: "I'd imagine it would be. Still, it's a little disappointing I didn't get to do anything…" "Even if that didn't work out, the important thing is that you were so willing to help us. Thanks Yu. We owe you for being willing to get involved with this." I said. "Hey, like I said, it was my pleasure! Let me know if anything else comes up!" Yu said. "No problem." I said back.

We then caught up with each other until Ryuji eventually arrived back and he said: "Looks like we got what we needed… good work. Now let's report back to Erika." I nodded and we went to her office. When we arrived, Ryuji knocked and Erika said: "Come in." We all then came in and Erika turned around and saw us before she said: "Looks like that was a total success. It went way easier than I thought it would…" and then Yu said: "Yeah. But I wasn't even involved…" Erika then turned to me and said: "Yeah, all thanks to our little Terriermon here. You handled yourself pretty well around Makiko. Maybe being a Digimon is more your thing." "Knock it off!" I said. Everyone else then laughed before Ryuji said: "We still appreciate you being willing to get involved, Yu. Thank you for your support." "Hey, no problem! So are you going to need me for a later part of this mission?" Yu asked. "No, we should be able to handle the rest ourselves. Thank you, you can go now." Erika said. "Alright then. See you!" Yu said.

He then left and Ryuji said: "I'll go get Chitose. He'll have to be here for the rest." Erika and I nodded and then we waited for a bit. I then turned to her and said: "How's Wormmon doing?" "She's doing fine. She's been going a little stir-crazy, but that'll all be fixed during the next part of the mission." Erika said. "Oh, so Wormmon's in it too?" I asked. "Yup. You'll hear more when Chitose gets here." Erika replied. I then heard her stomach growl and I said: "Did you skip lunch today or something?" Erika then frowned a little before she said: "Why? Are you worried about me all of the sudden?" "Friends look out for each other." I said back. Erika then crossed her arms and said: "I just haven't been eating well, that's all. I normally eat whatever I can buy from the vending machines and eat it in here so I can keep working." "But Hudie is a cafe… you could eat something from the cafe area and it would probably be better for you, too…" I said. "That would take too much time. People go in and out of there constantly." Erika said. That was sad… I felt bad that Erika was eating junk food just because she was a hard worker…

Just then though, we heard a knock at the door and Erika said: "Come in." and Ryuji and Chitose came in and Ryuji said: "Alright, we're all ready to continue. Erika, is Wormmon on screen?" "No, let me get her. One minute…" Erika said. She then started typing on her keyboard and soon a window with Wormmon popped up and she said: "Hey everyone! Long time, no see!" "Alright, now that Wormmon's here, we can continue with the briefing. Now that we have Makiko's login information, we can infiltrate the cyber crimes investigation unit server anytime. Our plan is to do so first thing tomorrow morning. Keisuke, Wormmon and I will be the ones going directly in. The objective is to find the connection point to the main network." Ryuji said. He then turned to the window with Wormmon in it and said: "Wormmon, has Erika told you about what your role is?" "Yup! She said I had to relay a made up pass she'll send me to the connection point so you can extract the data." Wormmon said. "Excellent. Of course, going in there will be very risky, so we'll need you to cover our tracks while we're in there, Chitose." Ryuji said. "Leave it to me!" Chitose said. "Great. Keisuke, you'll be in charge of protecting us from any security, including Digimon. That being said, do you all understand your roles?" Ryuji asked. We all nodded and Ryuji said: "Excellent. Then we'll all get ready tomorrow. Dismissed!"

And Chitose left Erika's office before I said: "Ryuji, you are going to fix my avatar before tomorrow, right?" "Huh…? Why is he asking that…? Wormmon asked. I didn't answer and Ryuji said: "Of course I am! What do you take me for?" "I just wanted to be sure… I wouldn't be much use like that…" I said. "Don't worry—it'll all be sorted out. I'll fix it, but in the meantime, you can't log into EDEN, because when I fix the avatar, it will spontaneously update itself—and we can't have anyone else around when that happens." Ryuji said. I sighed and said: "Alright, then I'll just work on what I can around here then…" "Good answer. Ryuji will tell you once he's done too. Keep at it, Keisuke." Erika said.

The next day, we all assembled in the office and Ryuji had us log in to the cyber crimes investigation unit server. When we arrived, we saw it—it had many black-and-white walkways with green teleportation pads! There were also screens of data everywhere! Ryuji then said: "Well, here we are. Keep your guard up, everyone—this is important." "Right!" I said. Ryuji and I then walked forward and then Wormmon said: "Hey, Keisuke?" and then I turned around and said: "Yes?" and she went on: "Last night, I heard Erika say that Ryuji turned you into a Digimon! Is that true? Did you like it?"

Suddenly I felt annoyed and said: "He did NOT turn me into a Digimon! He modded my avatar so I'd look like one! There's a difference!" Wormmon then giggled and said: "Wow! I never knew hackers could do that! So which one were you?" "…Terriermon." I said back. "Hee-hee! Aw, how cute! I didn't see that coming!" Wormmon said before Ryuji frowned and said: "Stop it Wormmon! We're losing time! Now let's go!" "I agree! Let's get a move on!" I said.

We then proceeded through the server. The teleportation pads made advancement difficult, but we eventually made it into a closed area that had some odd square plates in each corner of the area (and they had certain characteristics in common—two had colored tag-shaped projections coming out of them, one red and one blue and the other two had no projections), as well as a data terminal in the middle… we then approached it and I said: "Is this the connection point, Ryuji?" He nodded and said: "Yeah. It looks like it." He then approached it and started trying to use it, before he said: "Hmm… that's odd…" and he started looking all around it…

"What is it, Ryuji?" Wormmon asked. "It's not on. And there doesn't look like any way to turn it on either…" Ryuji said. "But there has to be a way! It'd be useless otherwise!" Wormmon said. "I know. We'll just need to keep our eyes open…" Ryuji said. I then eyed something nearby the terminal… it was what looked like a series of pages that had 3 red lines, 2 of which were in an 'x' shape and the third was wrapped around the middle across them. I approached it and Wormmon said: "Keisuke? Do you have an idea?" "Let me see if I can use this…" I said. I then used my hacking skill 'code scan' to decrypt and access the data saved in it…

Soon it was decrypted and then I saw it: these were saved files! And they contained instructions for how to turn the terminal on! "Aw yeah! Here's what we were looking for!" I said. "Did you find something, Keisuke?" Wormmon asked. "Yes! This has instructions for how to turn on the power to the connection point!" I said. "Great! What does it say?" Ryuji asked. "Let me just show you. The explanation is a bit complicated and would eat up our time." I said.

I then went up to one of the data plates (this was the one with the red tag projection) and used my hacking skill 'copy and paste' to record the red data characteristic, then I went to one of the two data plates and used it again to make the red tag projection appear on that plate! "Whoa! What's the deal with that?" Wormmon asked. I then went to the data plate with the blue tag projection and used copy and paste again before I went to the last data plate I hadn't been to and used the copy and paste skill again to make the blue tag projection appear on the plate. A second later, I heard Ryuji say: "Whoa! It booted up!" and I turned around and went next to them, only to find the terminal had booted up!

Ryuji then nodded and said: "Excellent work, Keisuke. Now I'll handle the hacking. Once I do, there's no telling what they'll throw at us, so watch my back, okay?" "You got it!" I said. Ryuji then went to work for a bit (and I monitored the surrounding area) and he soon said: "Alright, as expected… ah! What the…?!" and then Wormmon and I turned to him and I said: "What? What is it, Ryuji?!" "Something's coming! It must be a trap embedded in the data!" he said.

Ryuji then backed up and two Digimon appeared before us… one on the left was very humanoid and walked on two legs. It had red, gold and black armor over a black body suit and had sharp, curved shoulder armor, as well as three horns (one pointed straight ahead, while the other two went sideways) on a red mask it was wearing. It had very long, spiky blond hair and looked 5'8 tall. The other on the right walked on two legs and wore a full body white suit with black belts around its waist and thighs. It had white-and-purple shoulder and arm armor and a white helm that looked like a wolf's head covering its face. It also had white, purple and black shoes. It had short, blond hair and wore a purple cape. It looked 5'10 tall.

"Damn, talk about cunning…! Embedding Digimon into the data?!" Ryuji said before the white Digimon said: "Only authorized personnel are allowed to view this data. I don't know how you got in here, but we can't let you leave." "Hmph. If that's the way you want it…" Ryuji said before he called out Cyberdramon and I said: "I guess that's it then! Let's knock 'em down!" the red Digimon then said: "Try us! Now let's go, punks! It's time to burn!"

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Agunimon scan data: ERROR, Lobomon scan data: ERROR." That was the second time that happened… how weird. It said that Agunimon and Lobomon were both free-typed Digimon, meaning they were no better off against one enemy than another, so I called out Angewomon, BlueMetalGreymon and Ciel. I then said: "BlueMetalGreymon, use revenge flame! Ciel, hit 'em with silent bullet!" and BlueMetalGreymon said: "Revenge flame!" and caused blue flames to surround him. They didn't hurt him, but heightened his concentration instead, so he'd retaliate against any attack. Ciel then said: "Silent bullet!" and she shot at Agunimon and Lobomon three times. Both recovered relatively easily, although Lobomon had a harder time than Agunimon. Angewomon then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross explode where Agunimon was! Agunimon then said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell on himself and Lobomon that made them do more damage with non-magic attacks. Lobomon followed up and said: "Attack charge field!" and strengthened himself and Agunimon a second time. It looks like they're going to be good at applying pressure fast… if I don't do something soon, this might get bad… Ryuji then said: "Cyberdramon, hit Lobomon with destruction cannon 3!" and Cyberdramon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a purple blob of darkness at Lobomon, which he took a little hard!

Agunimon then said: "Wolkenapalm 2!" and caused a fiery explosion where Ciel was. Lobomon then said: "Wind claw 2!" and leapt at Angewomon and scratched her with his hands, which had shears of wind coming from them. "BlueMetalGreymon, hit Lobomon! Wolkenapalm 3! Ciel, follow up with fury fire!" I said. BlueMetalGreymon then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where Lobomon was standing. Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lobomon twice. "Cyberdramon, use Desolation claw on Agunimon!" Ryuji said. Cyberdramon then said: "Desolation claw!" and he put his hands close to each other, but they weren't touching. A cyan ball then formed in between his hands and he fired a beam from it at Agunimon! I then said: "Alright, time to fight back Angewomon! Use celestial arrow on Agunimon!" and Angewomon said: "Celestial arrow!" and conjured a white bow on her right arm's glove and shot a shining arrow of light from it at Agunimon! It squarely hit him and when he got up, he looked mad and said: "Ngh! No! I lost my power!" "What? What are you talking about, Agunimon?" Lobomon asked. "Our attack boosts! They went away when she shot me with that arrow!" Agunimon said. "Really? She's going to be a big problem then…" Lobomon said.

"Heh-heh-heh…" I said as Angewomon giggled. "Well done, Keisuke! That'll keep them on the ropes!" Ryuji said. Lobomon then frowned and said: "Zwei Sieger!" and took two handles off of his belt and they emitted beams of light, like they had turned into swords! He then swung them at Angewomon in one attack and she managed to recover. I then said: "BlueMetalGreymon, give Ciel a boost! Critical charge!" and he said: "Critical charge!" and improved Ciel's ability to identify enemy weak points. Then I went on: "Ciel, hit Lobomon with fury fire again!" and Ciel said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lobomon twice, although he took the shots harder this time! "Cyberdramon, you help too! Use destruction cannon 3 on Lobomon!" Ryuji said and Cyberdramon attacked with it again. Agunimon then said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted his and Lobomon's damage output with non-magic attacks again. I then said: "Angewomon, keep everyone's health up! Aura!" and Angewomon said: "Aura!" and cast a spell that restored everyone's health!

"WHAT? She heals too?!" Lobomon said. "Looks like we'd better do something, quick! Pyro punch!" Agunimon said. He then lit his fists on fire and ran at Angewomon while Lobomon said: "Zwei sieger!" and once again made those light swords before I said: "Not so fast! Angewomon, get ready to block!" and she assumed a defensive position. Agunimon then punched Angewomon twice before he leapt back and Lobomon swung his swords at her, but she was still doing fine, thanks to her defending! "Alright! Now finish Lobomon off, BlueMetalGreymon and Ciel! Use wolkenapalm 3 and fury fire!" and Ryuji said: "Cyberdramon, you too! Destruction cannon 3!" and they all attacked and knocked Lobomon out!

Agunimon was starting to look worried, and he said: "Pyro punch!" and hit Angewomon twice more. "Angewomon, time to heal! Aura!" I said. She then said: "Aura!" and healed everyone again! "That's the way! Now BlueMetalGreymon, give Ciel another boost! Critical charge!" I said. BlueMetalGreymon then did so and Ciel said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Agunimon twice. "Cyberdramon, use desolation claw!" Ryuji said. Cyberdramon then attacked with the beam again.

Agunimon then punched Angewomon again with pyro punch, but I had Angewomon take away his boost again with celestial arrow. Ciel then followed up with a fury fire and BlueMetalGreymon did too with wolkenapalm 3 (and Cyberdramon pitched in a desolation claw!). It didn't take long before Agunimon was down too!

When the fight was over, Wormmon jumped up and down and said: "Way to go, Keisuke and Ryuji! You made those Digimon look easy to beat!" "Thank you, Wormmon. Although it was only because we were so prepared." I said before I turned to my Digimon and said: "Still, I have to agree—you were awesome, Angewomon, BlueMetalGreymon, Ciel." Angewomon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke." BlueMetalGreymon then threw his arms up into the air excitedly and said: "Yeah, and we did it all on our own! No defeats on our side or anything!" and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief before she said: "I'm just glad I did so well, even though it was my first major fight." She then turned to Angewomon and BlueMetalGreymon before she said: "Of course, I owe you both a lot of credit for that too." "You should be proud though, Ciel—you did a great job attacking and it was true that you really did great on your first big battle." I said. Ciel then turned to me and smiled widely before she said: "Thanks!"

"Don't forget the mission, all of you—we need to get the data. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, it's not over yet…" Ryuji said before Wormmon said: "Hmm?" and Ryuji went on: "Since we took down those Digimon, the admins are going to be notified… things are going to get dangerous real soon…" he then turned to us and said: "You two go back. I'll take it from here." "But…!" I began and then Ryuji said: "Don't worry about me; I'm experienced enough to get out in one piece. But it wouldn't do if you got captured… just leave this to me, okay? I can do this."

"How irresponsible would that be? We came here to finish the mission together, Ryuji! We can't just leave you in the dust—" I began and then Ryuji suddenly looked very mad before he said: "Stop it! We're wasting time we need to analyze the data bickering like this! Just go!" "Yeeeeh! I've never seen Ryuji so mad before! We'd better go, Keisuke!" Wormmon said. "Umm… okay…" I said.

And Wormmon and I left the server together. When I returned to Hudie, I had trouble getting back on task… that sudden change in how Ryuji was acting was really weird, especially given what a mess he's forced onto himself… all the same, I suppose all I can do is wait… I checked the BBS for cases and didn't find any, so I decided to train my Digimon for a while. Luckily (when I next came back to Hudie) I saw Ryuji! I approached him and we talked and eventually he mentioned that he retrieved the data successfully and the mission was complete. It was a daring escape we made, and I was just glad it was over… I was ready for things to calm down for a while.


	27. Simon: You are what you eat

Simon Chapter 13—You are what you eat—

The next day I went back into Kyoko's office and when she saw me, she said: "Good morning, Simon..." but she looked totally despondent… "…Kyoko? What is it?" I asked. "There's been some news on Kamishiro that was… deflating, to say the least." Kyoko said. "What? What are you talking about…?" I asked. "There was an announcement by Rie Kishibe of Kamishiro that Kamishiro has thrown out the employees who were involved with the illegal acquisition of the Nile Corporation and issued a public apology for it. Rie has also named herself Kamishiro's new CEO. Apparently, there's also been an update to EDEN, and a beta test will be run for it in the near future." Kyoko said.

My eyes then widened and I said: "Aahhh… and that…" "That's the end of my attempt to get them in prison…" Kyoko said. She then went on: "They admitted their own guilt, appearing to apologize out of their own initiative before I could leak it, so they could avoid as much bad news coverage and discomfort as they possibly could… I can't stand it, I had them right where I wanted them and they got away…" "Kyoko…" I said.

Kyoko then shook her head and said: "Well, there's no sense ruminating over it _now_ I suppose… anyway, we don't have any cases right now, so you'll have some downtime on your hands. Use it well!" "I will. I'm sorry, Kyoko…" I said.

I then left and went back to Kowloon and trained my Digimon more. Eventually, I left and went to the Digilab to heal. On my way out, I eyed the terminal used for digivolving my Digimon and paused—after how intense those three fights had been with those Demons, it couldn't hurt to see if they could digivolve—and they had been working hard too! It seemed like at least some of them might be ready.

I then went over to the terminal and checked it out… and saw that Scott, Daisy and Pepper could digivolve! I was thrilled when I saw this and went to the farm island to gather everyone up. I then brought them out into the Digilab and then Zachary said: "It looks like we're all here… so I'm assuming something exciting is happening, right?" I smiled and said: "Exactly! Pepper, Scott and Daisy can all digivolve! So I had hoped that we could all see it as a team." Pepper, Scott and Daisy all looked excited and then I said: "So let's get started! Pepper, would you care to go first?" "I'd be glad to!" Pepper said.

I then initiated the process and Pepper's body became a colorless wireframe and reshaped itself into a MetalGreymon. When the process was finished, I said: "Congrats, Pepper! You're growing fast!" Pepper smiled and said: "You bet! I'll keep on growing for everyone too!" We all smiled and then he went back to the others.

Scott then came up next and I started digivolving him. Scott became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a WarGrowlmon—a very tall, part-machine reptile Digimon. He was still colored red and had a giant, straight tail and a white underbelly, but his arms were covered with metal and had blades on the sides. He also had metal covering his chest with holes that functioned as laser cannons where his nipples would be. His face was covered by metal too in such a way that made it look like a mask and he still had white hair on his head. He also had a plug coming out of his back from a cable. He looked 7'10 tall.

I smiled at Scott and said: "Way to go, Scott! And it doesn't seem like that long ago that you were still a Guilmon…" "Yeah, that's true… but I've come a long way with your help Simon, so thank you. I know that with your help, I'll reach the mega level too! That'll be an exciting day." Scott said. "You bet! That will be thrilling!" I said. Scott then went to the others.

After that, Daisy came on up and I started digivolving her. Her body then became a colorless wireframe and reshaped itself into a Lillymon—and she had shrunken down to almost half of her previous size! She was now very humanoid and had two arms and two legs. Her torso had pink flower petals all over it and she had a skirt made of pink flower petals. She had pale pink skin on her arms, neck, face and legs and a beautiful pink flower growing out of her head. She had green sleeves that started halfway down her bicep and kept going down until it stopped at some green leaves growing around her wrists. She wore long green boots that went up to her knees and had daisies on them and had vines growing out of the back of her head that looked like hair. They went down to her waist. She also had four thin, green leafy wings on her back and was flapping them to stay aloft. She looked 3'9 tall.

Daisy then slowly flew up in circles into the air before she stopped and said: "Ahhhhh… much better! I always liked being more petite! Besides, I'm just soooo much cuter this way, aren't I?" "I'd say so. Great work, Daisy! You've really come a long way!" I said. Daisy then put her hand over her mouth and said: "Oh—you agreed!" and all of the others laughed before Daisy put her hand down, smiled and said: "Well not that I mind, of course! And I'll keep getting better too! I'm more than just a pretty face, don't you worry!"

We all smiled and I put Jason, Winston and Zachary into the farm island, and took Scott, Pepper, Daisy, Elena, Zephyr, Sabrina and Larry out and then headed out of the Digilab. I was back in Kowloon, but as soon as I was about to head back in, I got an E-mail from Nokia! I checked it and Nokia said she was in Nakano and wanted to meet with me at K-Cafe and she asked if I was available. I then replied saying I was and that I was on my way.

I then logged out of Kowloon and went to K-Cafe and saw Nokia sitting at a table. "Hi Nokia!" I said. "Hey Simon! Boy, did you ever show up fast!" Nokia replied. "Well luckily, I was right in the neighborhood. So what's this about?" I asked. "Well actually, you're not the only one I wanted to see… I wanted to talk about it with Arata too. He's also on his way, so would you mind waiting for his arrival?" Nokia asked. "No, not at all. I have time." I said.

Nokia and I then talked while we waited for Arata. We talked about the case Nokia had helped me solve, our Digimon and about what else we had been up to. Soon, Arata came into K-Cafe and we turned to him. I then said: "Welcome, Arata!" "Oh, so Simon's here too, eh? So what's this all about?" Arata asked. "Come have a seat and we'll get started!" Nokia said.

Arata then sat at the table and Nokia said: "Let me start by filling you in, Arata. Recently, I was helping Simon complete an investigation and when I was doing it, we had to fight some tamers from a group called the 'Demons'—" and then Arata said: "Ah, the recently formed hacker team made from largely Zaxon-deserters, right? So how do they factor in all this?" Nokia's face then suddenly tightened with anger and she said: "I remember how they treated their Digimon… they were cruel to them and took everything they did—their precious partners—all for granted! I was so disgusted that I'm ready to put an end to it! I want to form a tamer group that fights to protect Digimon and makes their lives better!" Nokia's face then returned to normal and she said: "We'd be like that old hacker team that recently disbanded—the Judes—only we'd be in it for the welfare of all those precious Digimon—" and then Arata said: "The Judes? That old hacker team that used to be experts at hacking and was respected as a legendary hacker team in cyberspace?" "Yeah, exactly! And you could be the leader, Arata! Because you're perfectly suited to that kind of thing! We'd go around promoting kindness to Digimon and stopping any hackers who abuse their partners! Wouldn't that be awesome? So what do you say?" Nokia asked.

Arata then paused before he said: "How stupid. Count me out." "H-HUH?!" Nokia said. "I don't have time for your game of make believe—" Arata began and then Nokia said: "G-game of make believe?!" before Arata went on: "I've been researching what's been going on here in Tokyo—those horrible Eaters are out there putting people into comas that aren't on a trajectory to end and causing all kinds of grief and suffering. If you want to run around picking fights and pretending to be a hero, go ahead. I'll be out there stopping the real monsters." And then he got up and headed out! "Wh-what?! Arata!" Nokia said, but he just left…

After Arata left, I turned to Nokia (who looked absolutely furious) and then she said: "AHHHH! That obnoxious… jerk! To think I offered him the position of leader… and more than that, for him to act like abusing Digimon isn't a real problem…!" Nokia then turned to me and said: "Simon, you're with me on this, aren't you?!" "While protecting Digimon and stopping their abuse isn't a bad idea, this idea sounds a little incomplete Nokia…" I began and then she frowned and said: "Come on! So you're against me too?!" "Nokia, calm down! I didn't say anything of the sort. I'm only trying to understand this. Now for starters, how are you planning on 'stopping' these tamers who abuse their Digimon?" I asked. "By defeating them in battles and knocking some sense into them!" Nokia answered.

"You thought that through?" I said. Nokia suddenly looked surprised and I went on: "Attempting to correct the abuse by policing the tamers will not stop the problem by itself. These tamers who are abusive to their Digimon will only see your tamer group as bullies who make their lives hard, and the more you succeed in your endeavors to oppress them, the stiffer their resistance will become. A cornered predator will fight with all of its strength and if you make them feel desperate enough, there's no telling how far they will go to stop you." "So what are you saying?! It's pointless to try and stop bad tamers from abusing their Digimon?!" Nokia said. "Not really… but at the same time, you'll have to use more than force and oppression to stop them and not run around picking fights recklessly. Inspiring other tamers to be kind, creating awareness and carefully analyzing all of your options are also important components of this. And more so, let us consider the Demons hacker team itself and its history…" I began, and Nokia looked intrigued as I went on: "This group of bad people was formed because a group of tamers defected from a tamer group, the Zaxons. To prevent something like that from happening, we'd also need to work with other tamer groups to make sure evil couldn't arise from unexpected places. And to prevent that, in this hacker team you want to create, you'd have to keep the members happy and offer them incentive to stay with you."

Nokia then smiled and said: "This is why I invited you, Simon! These are some awesome ideas! For how ingenious you are, I want _you_ to be the leader!" "Well being a detective's assistant at the moment, I have a limited amount of time I would be able to serve that role well… I would need someone to help when I can't be around… I would only agree to such terms if you could offer me that, Nokia." I said back. "That's what I'm for! So what do you say? Are you in or are you out?" Nokia asked.

I smiled and said: "Alright. Then let's make this tamer group work!" Nokia smiled and said: "YES! I knew I could count on you, Simon!" and she hugged me. I hugged her back and when it ended, she said: "Well it looks like we're almost there! I guess the next step would be to decide on a team name…" and then she went on: "How about the 'Rebels'? Doesn't it sound cool?" "Not bad, but I don't think that fits our image… we're peacemakers, not troublemakers." I said back. "Oh yeah… so I guess we should call it a network then… a something network…" Nokia said. "Hmm… the 'Heroes Network'?" I said. Nokia smiled and said: "YES! Let's go with that!"

Then Nokia looked excited and said: "Okay! We've got a name, we've got a set of ideals, I guess all we need is more members! Let's go find some! The Zaxons should have some idle people who could join, and as much as I hate to say it, maybe the Demons do too… we should look in Kowloon for any idle dreamers too!" "That's an excellent idea, Nokia." I said. "Great! Now let's go, leader!" Nokia said. I smiled and said: "Great! But first…" and I took out my phone before Nokia said: "What are you doing?" "I want to take a photo to commemorate this special occasion—Nokia, would you mind joining in?" I asked.

Nokia smiled and came up next to me. We both smiled and I took a selfie of us before we headed to the terminal outside. When we arrived, Nokia said: "Alright! Now let's see… the Zaxon forum, the Demons' Den and Kowloon… which to hit up first…" "Well, the Zaxons and the Demons won't be pleased with us trying to take their members away, so let's get that out of the way first. Particularly the Zaxons—we have been friends with them up until now, so we should go there while we're still hard to detect and won't stand out." I said. "Good thinking, Simon! Okay, let's go!" Nokia said.

We then entered the Zaxon forum. Luckily, there weren't too many people around, so we looked around. We went up to a boy and I said: "Hi there." The boy then turned to us and said: "Eh? Oh, you're those two people from before… what do you want?" "We're forming a new tamer group, the Heroes Network, and we were looking for members! So would you care to join?" Nokia asked.

"Well I'm not outright opposed—Zaxon has been kind of floundering lately. But what got you to starting a new tamer group?" The boy asked. "What do you mean? I mean for starters, that went like that because of that! And then what else could I do besides this, jeez! Get it?" Nokia asked. "Not one bit." The boy said before he turned to me and said: "Hey you, explain."

"Our vision for the Heroes Network was that it could be a group to protect Digimon and that could make cyberspace a peaceful place for everyone." I said. "Oh really? That sounds pretty neat..." the boy said before he said: "Okay fine, I'll join up. My name's Yasu. Good to meet you." "We're happy to have you on board, Yasu!" I said. "Yeah! Welcome to the Heroes Network!" Nokia said. We then went off as a threesome and found two more Zaxons—a boy and a girl—nearby. Nokia and I decided to try our luck with them as well. We approached them and I said: "Hi!" and they turned to us and the boy said: "Hm? Oh, you're those two from the other day… what is it?" "We're in the process of forming a new tamer group, the Heroes Network, and we're looking for people who might be interested in joining us." I said. "Hmm… I suppose life in the Zaxons has been a little quiet lately… so what's the deal with your team?" the girl asked.

"We're a Digimon's rights group and we're also trying to protect and preserve peace in cyberspace." I said. "Um… isn't the 'protecting and preserving peace in cyberspace' part a lot like what we're already trying to do in the Zaxons? How are you any different?" the boy said. "Well that's true… but Zaxon is only trying to protect peace in Kowloon. We're trying to not only protect peace in Kowloon, but also to engage in diplomacy between all the other hacker teams to support peace." I said. "You think you can manage relationships between the Zaxons and the Demons? That's a pretty daring goal…" the girl said. She then went on: "…But that's pretty admirable that your team has such daring dreams too. Okay, I'll join. My name's Haruka." "I guess I'll join up too. I'm Daisuke. I look forward to working with ya!" The boy said. "We're looking forward to it too, Daisuke and Haruka!" Nokia said.

"Alright, we got three new members here, but we're still playing a dangerous game… We should go before our luck runs out. Let's go to the Demons' Den next. Let's go team!" I said. We then went to the Demons' Den. Luckily, it was pretty quiet in here too and there were only a few people around. We then approached a boy and Nokia said: "Hi there!" and the boy looked at us before he said: "Hm? What do you want?" "We were looking for members to join our new tamer group, the Heroes Network." I said. "Huh? A new tamer group? Well, no matter. What's your team about?" the boy asked.

I then explained it to him and by the end he said: "Ha! You're trying to keep good relations between all of the tamer groups in cyberspace? That's a really ambitious goal!" before he went on: "…But you know, I do respect your will to try the seemingly-impossible. It's pretty cool even. And I do love a good challenge…" before he said: "Alright, I'll join up. My name's Takashi." "We're glad to have you on board, Takashi!" I said.

We then approached a girl further in and when she saw us coming, she looked up and I said: "Hi!" and the girl said: "Hm? What is it?" "We're looking for tamers to join our new tamer group, the Heroes Network." I said. "So you came in here soliciting membership into your group, huh? That takes guts. So what's your team about?" She asked. We then told her about it and then she said: "Mmm… your team's pretty different. It would be a pretty big change of pace from being in the Demons…" Before she went on: "…But it also sounds like it would be more active than it is here. Okay, I'll join up. My name's Megumi." "Nice to meet you Megumi!" Nokia said. "Yeah. We're glad to have you with us!" I said.

Nokia and I then decided that we should leave the Demons' Den while the going was still good. We then went out to Kowloon, looking for another member. We traversed through, until we spotted another tamer in the middle of a battle with some wild Digimon. His Digimon weren't the strongest, but he looked like a good tamer—he was kind to his Digimon and kept encouraging them. "Hmm… that guy seems to have some potential…" Nokia said. "I agree. Looks like we might have another promising member, if we're lucky." I said. The boy then finished up the battle and then we approached him and Nokia said: "Uh… hey!" and the tamer turned around and said: "Oh hi… what is it?"

"Forgive us, but we were passing through and saw how you handle your Digimon. You really are good with them." I said. The boy then grinned and said: "Thanks! I got started pretty recently, but my Digimon are coming along great and I like being their tamer." "I like your attitude! Digimon are our precious partners, and you seem to understand that! Well then, would you like to join our tamer group, the Heroes Network?" Nokia asked. "The Heroes Network? What's that?" the boy asked.

I then explained it to him and then the boy smiled and said: "Wow! Your tamer group sounds really cool! I love Digimon, so it sounds like a good fit for me! Okay, I'm in!" "That's great! We're glad to have you on board! So what's your name, friend?" I asked. "My name's Yasanori. Nice meeting you!" Yasanori said. "Alright, Yasanori. Welcome to the Heroes Network!" I said.

Nokia then turned to me and said: "I think we have enough members now. What about you?" "I agree; it'll make it easier for us to get to know each other and work as a team if our numbers start out small. Besides, we can't keep recruiting forever." I said. "Right on! Alright then, Heroes Network! How about we start by building a server, like the other teams?" Nokia said.

Everyone agreed to this and we all worked together to program a private server for our members. Because there were 8 of us, we finished a basic enough one within a few hours. We called it the 'hall of heroes'. After that we got to know each other before we wrapped it up for the day. The next day, I checked with Kyoko if there were any new cases (and she still said there weren't), so I went back with Nokia to keep developing the Heroes Network. We all went to the hall of heroes and spent a lot of time doing some social activities between us and our Digimon to get closer as a group and soon enough, the day was over.

The following morning, I went into Kyoko's office and when she saw me I said: "Good morning Kyoko. Do we have any cases today?" "As a matter of fact, we do. Our client this time was mildly… shady. He said he would be coming to the office in an hour though, so make sure you're back in time!" Kyoko said. "Sure thing!" I said. I used the downtime to go to the hall of heroes. When I arrived, I explained I would have to go soon and we all spent a bit more time together before I headed back to Kyoko's office and arrived with fifteen minutes to spare. Eventually the door opened and I saw who our client was: it was Arata!

I was rather surprised and Kyoko said: "Welcome to the Kuremi Detective Agency, Mr. Sanada. Please have a seat." "Sure thing. I'm glad everyone's here…" Arata said before he turned to me, grinned and said: "And why the shocked face, Simon? Surely you must realize a client doesn't always have to be a stranger?" I then smiled and said: "You're right about that, Arata. It's good to see you again."

We then shook hands before Kyoko said: "So you two know each other already?" "Yup. Arata's been a longtime friend since I came here." I said. "I see. You've certainly been expanding your social circle a lot since you got here, Simon." Kyoko said. Arata then took a seat across from me and Kyoko continued: "Well that simplifies things. Now I believe you said your case was related to a mysterious digital wave, Arata?" "Yes. One has been spotted in Asakusa. I wanted Simon's help to look into it on site and discover more about them." Arata replied. "Hmm… so what's your interest in them, if you don't mind me asking?" Kyoko said. "I'm just interested in them. But more so, I'm investigating them to help a friend." Arata said. "Hmm… very well, I suppose. Are you up for this, Simon?" Kyoko asked. "You bet!" I said. "Very well. Then good luck in Asakusa and be careful." Kyoko said. "Of course! Don't worry." I said.

Arata and I then left for Asakusa. When we arrived, we saw it was in the midst of a digital shift! "Dang, another one…" I said. "Yeah… these things keep popping up all over Tokyo… it's terrible." Arata said. He then went on: "And those Eaters… they're claiming more and more victims! It's not safe anymore with all these digital shifts! That's why I wanted to learn more about them; so I can do something to help. And who would be better suited to help me than you, right?" I smiled and said: "That's a very high compliment. I will do my best of course. Now let's get in there!" "Hold on, Simon! There's something else I should tell you first…" Arata said.

I was then a little surprised and Arata went on: "Back when we were in that digital shift in Akihabara, I followed that Suedou jerk and caught up to him. I got some information from him too… you know how Nishino described how those Eaters ate the data of the people in that studio who were discussing their favorite manga where she met them?" "Yeah? What about them?" I asked. "Apparently Kamishiro does have a name for that comatose condition they acquired… it's called 'EDEN Syndrome'…" Arata said. "…And that would mean that I have it too…" I said. "Exactly…" Arata said. But then I remembered what Arata said when we were in the meeting at the agency: he had said that he was 'investigating them to help a friend'. At the memory of that, I suddenly felt myself smiling.

Arata then looked confused and said: "What are you so happy about?" "So given what you've said, when you said you were: 'investigating digital shifts to help a friend', that must have been… me?" I asked. Arata then grinned and said: "You're sharp as ever I see. Yeah, I do want to help you, especially after you've been such a good pal." "Thanks Arata. We'll get to the bottom of it in time. And speaking of which, we'd better head in!" I said.

I then called out Daisy, Zephyr and Elena. When Arata saw my Digimon, he said: "Heh. Looks like your Digimon have been advancing. Of course, mine has too. Look!" and then he called out his Digimon… and it looked like Keramon had digivolved to a Chrysalimon! "Alright! Looks like you've been busy Arata!" I said. Arata chuckled and then we went into the digital shift.

When we got in, we followed the road straight ahead… and eventually, it ended at a large gateway where there was a giant lantern blocking the way further in for some reason! "Argh! That's the only way further in! What are we supposed to do now?!" Arata asked. I paused and thought for a moment… this reminded of me the digital shift in Shinjuku… back then, we had fought a Gotsumon and a Dorumon, and that had opened a passageway that was tied to them that actually led to where we were trying to go…

Finally, I said: "Talk about déjà vu… let's look around, Arata. It must be tied to something else." "Tied to something else? Like what?" Arata asked. "I can't dismiss this as a coincidence that we encountered a barrier in the Shinjuku digital shift that was tied to some Digimon that were somewhere else and now we're encountering something that looks like it has the potential to be the same thing. Let's see if there are any Digimon that may be responsible for keeping this thing intact, like there were with that ball of light back then." I said. Arata then said: "Oh… oh yeah! Great thinking, Simon! Okay, let's investigate!"

We then retraced our steps and found a narrow pathway in between some buildings and followed it to one side of the gateway with the lantern blocking our path. We then turned to our right… and saw another giant ball of light tucked inside of a dead end here! "So you were right… alright, let's kick whatever Digimon are in there out!" Arata said. We then ran up to it and a Kyubimon jumped out, along with another Digimon: it was a tall, humanoid lion creature that walked on two legs and wore black pants. He carried a sword that was bound to the back of his pants and was very muscular.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it. It said: "Left to right: Kyubimon scan data: 30%. Leomon scan data: 15%". It also said Leomon was a vaccine Digimon, so I switched Zephyr for Sabrina. I then said: "Daisy, Sabrina, hit Leomon at full force! Use flower cannon and Burst flame 2!" and Daisy said: "Flower cannon!" while Sabrina said: "Burst flame 2!" and Daisy put her hands together as she shot a flower made of energy from her wrists and Sabrina made a fiery explosion occur where Leomon was. "Dyaaah!" Leomon said as the blast knocked him over. He then got up as Kyubimon frowned and said: "Panic wisp!" and sent a wisp of red fire flying at Daisy! When it hit Daisy, she didn't have any trouble taking the hit, but looked flustered… Arata then said: "Chrysalimon, get that Kyubimon! Nanomachine break 2!" and Chrysalimon said: "Nanomachine break 2!" and shocked Kyubimon with electricity from his cables. Leomon then said: "Fist of the beast king!" and leapt at Elena and pummeled her. Elena took the attack pretty hard too! Elena then said: "Nightmare 2!" and made dark purple energy form around Kyubimon and burst, knocking her down. She took the hit pretty hard too.

Daisy then screamed and flew at Sabrina and kicked her. I then said: "Sabrina, cure Daisy! Anti-panic! Elena, finish off Leomon! Lightning paw!" and Sabrina said: "Anti-panic!" and cast a spell on Daisy that removed the panic state. Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at Leomon with her claws and knocked him straight on his back… and he didn't get up! Kyubimon then ignited the tips of her tails and said: "Will-o-wisp!" and sent the flames flying at all of our Digimon. Chrysalimon then said: "Guard break!" and cast a spell on Kyubimon that lowered her damage resistance to non-magic attacks.

I then switched out Daisy for Scott and said: "Scott and Elena, finish off Kyubimon! Atomic blaster and power energy 2!" and Elena said: "Power energy 2!" before she made an explosion of gray energy occur where Kyubimon was standing. Scott then said: "Atomic blaster!" and fired rays of energy from the laser cannons on his chest! They crashed into Kyubimon and caused an explosion and she was soundly down! Kyubimon didn't get up after that… we did it! "Alright! Way to go team!" I said. Scott, Sabrina and Elena all smiled and Scott said: "Yeah! We really got that done fast!" "It was so easy with you helping in attacking that Kyubimon, Scott… your atomic blaster made that look easy." Elena said. "Yeah… that was a really cool attack." Sabrina said. Scott then smiled and said: "Aww, thanks! Of course, you both helped too!" "Yes, that's exactly right… your anti-panic really helped prevent things from getting out of control, Sabrina." Elena said. "Well you helped too Elena—your lightning paw let us take Leomon down right when we needed to when Sabrina couldn't attack at the time." I said. "That is also true." Sabrina said. I smiled before I said: "And let's thank Arata too! Chrysalimon's guard break made taking down Kyubimon all the easier!" Chrysalimon chuckled before Arata said: "Thanks you guys, but don't forget what we came here for! Let's keep looking to see what we need to do next!"

I nodded and then the ball of light then disappeared. Arata and I backtracked to where the giant lantern was in hopes that it would be gone, but the giant lantern was still there. We then looked for more paths and found another narrow one in between some buildings and followed it to the other side of the gateway, across from the last one! And when we took a left turn, we also ended up seeing another ball of light!

"Alright! Another clue! Let's see what secrets this one holds!" I said. We then approached it and a Reppamon and another Digimon jumped out—it was like a walking dead tree with two legs, two arms and had a body made of bark with no leaves.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it. It said: "Reppamon scan data: 15%. Woodmon scan data: 15%". It also said Woodmon was a virus Digimon, so I called out Pepper, Zephyr and Larry and Chrysalimon floated forward as I said: "Pepper, Zephyr, coordinate your attacks on Woodmon! Use Giga destroyer and Kunai wing!" and Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and his chest plate opened and fired two missiles at Woodmon that exploded when they hit him and Zephyr said: "Kunai wing!" and leapt up in the air and spread his wings forward as he flung three kunai that were concealed in them at Woodmon! Woodmon managed to get up and said: "Branch drain!" as he pointed one of his arms at Chrysalimon and it started sucking in what appeared to be air and Chrysalimon flinched before it stopped. Woodmon looked like he felt a little better too. Reppamon then said: "Razor wind!" and curled up into a ball and rolled at Zephyr before he struck him with his tail four times—and it looked like it hurt too! Larry then leapt at Woodmon and said: "Tail hammer!" and swung his tail at him. Woodmon then fell over and got up before Arata said: "Chrysalimon, finish him off!" and Chrysalimon said: "Data crusher!" and his cables began to glow purple before he stuck them into Woodmon, which knocked him right back down, but he wouldn't get up—he was down.

Pepper then used another giga destroyer while Zephyr said: "Agility charge!" and he cast a spell on himself to heighten his awareness. Reppamon then said: "Shining laser!" and hit our entire team with pillars of light—except Zephyr. He leapt out of the way. "Larry, smack him! Tail hammer!" I said. Larry then said: "Tail hammer!" and smacked Reppamon with a forceful swing of his tail. Arata then said: "Alright Chrysalimon, let's finish this one off too, yeah? Hit him with destruction cannon 2!" and Chrysalimon hit Reppamon with a blob of darkness and took him down! We had won!

The ball of light vanished after that. Arata and I went back to the giant lantern that had been blocking the gate… only to find it wasn't there anymore! Our path was cleared!

"Alright! Now we've got a clear shot at that Eater!" Arata said. He then turned to me and said: "Simon, you up for this?" "Of course! Let's get 'em!" I said. Arata smiled and said: "That's my bud, always advancing with the right attitude! Now let's wipe that Eater out!"

And we ran further in. Soon, we saw a crowd of people… and the Eater in front of them! "Oh man! This doesn't look good!" Arata said. Most of the people got away, but the Eater happened to 'kiss' a few of them… Arata and I managed to get in between the Eater and the fleeing crowd, although there was one guy who had fallen down! The Eater then kissed him and then something strange happened: it positioned its tentacles so they (and its face) were facing the ground and the shell on its back vanished! "What's happening to it?" I asked. "I don't know… but if the theories are true, it may be changing shape…" Arata said. "Changing shape? How?" I asked.

Before Arata could answer though, the Eater's tentacles started to move, rearranging themselves until they were like ribbons that formed the outline of a human being! Some had moved to look like weird arms, some stayed on the ground to look like weird legs, some were wrapped around its midsection, looking like a torso, and some formed the outline of a head. It even had an eye in the middle of its chest… it looked hideous…

"Yuck! How'd it do that?!" I asked. "Oh man! So his theories _were_ true!" Arata said. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "According to what I got out of Suedou, he said that if an Eater eats enough of a foreign kind of data, it will incorporate that data into itself and change shape to resemble that creature… which means that after eating enough human mental data, this Eater incorporated it into itself and became more humanoid!" Arata said.

I then sighed and said: "And to think of how many people it's terrified and condemned to EDEN Syndrome just to attain that… that hideous form…!" I then went on: "Let's make it pay Arata!" "I hear ya! Chrysalimon, get him!" Arata said. Chrysalimon then floated in and I called in Pepper, Sabrina and Elena. I then said: "Sabrina, give Elena a boost! Use mental charge!" Elena, use nightmare 2 on it!" Sabrina then said: "Mental charge!" and cast a spell on Elena that boosted her damage output with magic and damage resistance to magic. Elena then said: "Nightmare 2!" and hit the Eater with it, although it didn't seem to do much good... Arata then said: "Chrysalimon, give it a guard break!" and Chrysalimon said: "Guard break!" and cast a spell on the Eater, reducing its damage resistance to non-magic forms of damage. Pepper then said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on himself to strengthen his non-magic attacks. The Eater then swung its arms at Sabrina and struck her.

I then said: "Pepper, give yourself an acceleration boost! Sabrina, burst flame 2!" and Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and cast a spell on himself to really strengthen his next attack! Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and made a fiery explosion occur where the Eater was. "Chrysalimon, hit him with a data crusher!" Arata said. Chrysalimon then said: "Data crusher!" and attacked the Eater with his cables again. Elena then said: "Nightmare 2!" and cast the spell on the Eater again. The Eater then stretched its arms at Elena and wrapped them around her, squeezing her hard. When it retracted them, Elena just barely got up…

"Chrysalimon, hit him with data crusher!" Arata said. Chrysalimon then attacked the Eater with it again. Sabrina then said: "Burst flame 2!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where the Eater was again, although it didn't look that effective… "These magic attacks aren't doing much… I guess it's time to switch our approach! Elena, hit him with lightning paw! Pepper, show no mercy! Giga destroyer!" I said. Elena then said: "Lightning paw!" and leapt at the Eater and swiped at it with her claws (which it took pretty hard) and then Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and blasted the Eater with missiles—and it looked badly hurt! Unfortunately, it did get back up though… it then swung its arms at Elena and she fell down and wouldn't get up…

"S-sorry, Simon…" Elena said: "Don't be. You did great. Now leave the rest to the others." I said as I called her back and sent in Scott. "Give him a destruction cannon 2, Chrysalimon!" Arata said. Chrysalimon then said: "Destruction cannon 2!" and sent a blob of darkness flying at the Eater, which hit it squarely on the head. "Pepper, give Chrysalimon a boost! Attack charge!" I said. Pepper then said: "Attack charge!" and strengthened Chrysalimon! The Eater then leapt over at Pepper and slapped him before going back. Pepper didn't have any trouble taking the attack, but then he turned into an 8-bit version of himself all of a sudden! "PEPPER? What happened to you?!" I asked. "It looks like that Eater must have used a texture blow attack… that inflicts the bad status called 'dot', which is when a Digimon turns into an 8-bit version of themselves. It does wear off, but all they can do in that form is spray blocky bubbles that don't do much damage." Arata said. Well that's real helpful…

"Scott power yourself up! Use attack charge!" I said. Scott then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his strength. Sabrina then pitched in a burst flame 2, while Pepper sprayed blocky bubbles at the Eater (which more or less bounced off of it…). I then said: "Let's end this, Scott! Atomic blaster!" and Scott said: "Atomic blaster!" and fired off the lasers that crashed into the Eater! They thoroughly overwhelmed it, causing it to collapse and vanish!

"Whew… looks like we got it! Still, it's worrying… it was stronger in that form…" Arata said. "Perhaps, but at least the digital shift will be ending soon. And speaking of which…" I said as I turned to my Digimon and said: "Good work everyone!" and I called my Digimon back. Arata then turned to Chrysalimon and said: "Good job to you too, buddy. See you next time!" "Thank you, Arata." Chrysalimon said. Arata then called him back and the digital shift soon vanished. Arata and I then left and went back to the entrance, where he said: "Well, looks like this case is solved, so now I'm ready to deliver on my end of the bargain. Let's go back to Nakano and I'll give you your reward!" I nodded and we went back. When we arrived, Arata gave me my reward and thanked me before he took off.


	28. Keisuke: The art of friendship

Keisuke Chapter 15—The art of friendship—

As the days passed, nothing ended up coming of our latest mission to hack the cyber crimes investigation unit server, which was a sweet relief. There came a day when I woke up early before I was going to go to Hudie. When I saw the time, I prepared to go back to sleep, but before I did, something came rushing back into my mind… Erika had told me she had been eating the junk in the vending machines at Hudie and I knew she was hungry at work… remembering that, I felt bad for Erika, so instead of going back to sleep, I decided to get up and make her breakfast today.

I went down to the kitchen and prepared a basic breakfast to take with me of an omelet and fresh fruit—it wasn't that fancy, but it'll definitely be better than what she's been eating. I then stored the omelet (and the fruit in a separate container) and took them with me to Hudie.

When I arrived, I went to the cafe and got a plate to use and put the food I had prepared on it. I then went to Erika's office and knocked on her door. "Come in." Erika said. I then entered and Erika turned around before she said: "Hey. I didn't expect you to come in so early—" and then she started sniffing and said: "What's that smell? It smells good…" and then she eyed the plate I was holding and said: "Oh, so you got breakfast at the cafe, huh? That's not like you." I then shook my head as I said: "No. I made this myself." Erika then looked the plate over before she said: "I didn't know you were a good cook. That's interesting…" I smiled and said: "I'm glad you think so." "Still, I have to wonder… why did you bring your breakfast all the way to work? Why not just eat it before you came in?" Erika asked.

"It's not mine. I brought it in for you." I said. Erika then looked stunned before she said: "…You made me breakfast? Why?" "I remembered what you said about eating all of that junk from the vending machines while you were here. I wanted you to have the chance to eat some real food instead." I said. Erika then crossed her arms as she said: "…You really are worried about me, aren't you?" "I'm only trying to be a friend, Erika." I said.

"If you're worried about me, you don't need to… still, it smells so good…" Erika said before she smiled and went on: "Alright, I'll give it a try. Thank you so much." I handed her the plate as I said: "You're welcome. The plate belongs to the cafe though, so it still needs to be returned." I then left Erika's office and went to a cubicle to check to see if any new cases were in. I checked it… and found one had come in from Yuuko!

I looked it over and it seemed a little odd to say the least… she had said the purpose of the case was her learning how to be a better friend… I wasn't sure what to make of this, but I decided to take the case anyway. Yuuko had left a phone number with her case, so as soon as I closed the BBS and logged out, I called her. Soon I heard Yuuko say: "Hello?" and I replied: "Hi Yuuko. This is Keisuke speaking. I took your case you posted to Hudie and I was wondering if there was a time you wanted to meet so we could start working on it?"

"Oh yes! Thank you, Keisuke. I'm free right now actually. Could you meet me at the bookstore in Nakano Broadway?" Yuuko asked. "Absolutely! See you there, Yuuko!" I said. "Great! I'll see you then." Yuuko said. I then hung up and went to Nakano right away. When I arrived, I went to the third floor (where the bookstore was) and saw Yuuko standing in front of it. I then approached her and said: "Hello again, Yuuko!" Yuuko then smiled back and said: "Oh hi, Keisuke! Thank you for taking my case." "No problem. So would you mind filling me in on the details of the case, Yuuko? I'll be in a better position to help you that way." I said.

"Ah yes, about that… I can't go into much detail, but I need to try and get on better terms with a guy to work towards the completion of a plan I need to carry out. It's critically important too. That's why I've been reviewing all the relevant books I could find, but I'm still not sure…" Yuuko said. I was confused when I heard this. What did Yuuko think she was going to learn by reading and not by trying to gain firsthand experience? Finally, I said: "Why don't you just roleplay with Fei or me?" "Huh? I-I've always learned by reading… besides, I can't just go from zero to sixty like that—" Yuuko began and then I said: "It's not going from zero to sixty! We're already your friends! It's a perfectly safe way to do it!" "That would take too long. Please Keisuke, just find me a book that's practical, but not too long. A concise story or a comic would be best." Yuuko said. I wasn't sure how she thought reading a whole book would be faster than doing a few roleplays… nonetheless, I said: "Alright, I'll give it a go. Please be patient." "Certainly. See you then!" Yuuko said.

I then left. Our office at Hudie actually had books and comics that could be checked out, so I decided to start there. I went back to Ikebukuro and entered the office and started looking around the shelves where the print media was. Unfortunately, there weren't too many that were relevant to what Yuuko was looking for and the ones that were relevant weren't quite good enough… eventually I got frustrated and sighed. But then I heard a: "Keisuke? What are you doing?" it was Ryuji. I looked up and said: "Oh hi, Ryuji. I'm looking over some books and comics—" and then Ryuji frowned and said: "And why are you doing that? As an employee here, you're supposed to be doing cases, working on your hacking or training your Digimon."

I then explained to him that it was for Yuuko's case. By the end of it, Ryuji looked relaxed again and said: "I see. I'm sorry I thought you were slacking off then… to be honest, that sounds like a boring, hard job, especially since your client needs a book or comic so soon…" "Yeah… it wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't already hit so many dead ends…" I said. I then went on: "Given how much of the office's print media I've gone through, you wouldn't happen to know of a good book that's concise or a comic that I could use for my client, would you Ryuji?" "Well I'm more into movies and TV, so I'm not much of a reader, although I do have some old books that might be right for this…" Ryuji said. "You do?" I asked. "Wait here a minute. I think I might be able to find them…" Ryuji said.

He then went off and I kept looking through the print media until Ryuji came back with two small books. He then said: "I managed to dig them up. One of them is a book called 'Gangster Girls' that's about a group of young women who are passionate about working in a team and the other is called 'Eternal Rivals'. It's about two characters who are competitive with each other, but also friends. Will either of these work?" I thought for a minute before I said: "Gangster Girls sounds like it might be a good bet. Would you mind if I showed it to the client, Ryuji? I'll bring it right back after she's done." "No, not at all. It's not like I'm using these now, after all." Ryuji said as he handed it over. I smiled and said: "Thank you Ryuji. I appreciate your help!" Ryuji then grinned and said: "Sure. Hope it does the trick!"

I then returned to Yuuko in Nakano and approached her. Yuuko then said: "Oh hello, Keisuke. Do you have something that might work?" "I think so. Would you care to take a look, Yuuko?" I asked as I handed her the book. "Sure. Let's see…" She said. I handed it over and Yuuko's eyes were darting from page to page relatively fast. I wasn't sure if she was paying that much attention to what she was reading… I guess she must be a fast reader.

When Yuuko stopped she said: "Okay, I think I'm getting warmer… I'll try a line. Please tell me if my performance is convincing too." "…Alright, I'll grade you in three important categories, on a scale of 1 to 100. I'll text you your test results when you're done." I said. Yuuko then looked nervous before she said: "Test results? You sure know how to keep someone relaxed. Okay, here it goes. A-he-hem…" and she paused before she assumed an aggressive stance and loudly said to me: "Guy! It doesn't matter who you are! You just gotta do what you want! Make up your mind! Are you going to be my friend or not?!"

I was shocked. Was Yuuko even aware that someone might be watching us when she was raising her voice so much…? Nonetheless, I started typing on my phone and texted Yuuko the following test results:

Body language: 1%

Social flow: 1%

Expected behaviors: 1%

I then said: "Alright, your test results are in." and Yuuko looked at her phone. She paused for a moment before her eyelids drooped and she said: "Wow, what awful results… but I guess that's just as well… the protagonist seemed really passionate about friendship in the story, but that's just not my style…" She then went on: "Sorry to bother you, but could you find another book or comic that might get me on the right track?" "You don't have to tell me twice. It was part of the deal that I had to find something that would satisfy what you were looking for, after all. I'll be back." I said.

I then left, feeling discouraged. It looked like Yuuko's interpretation of Ryuji's book had gone in a completely different direction, and failure was the result. I then hurried back to Ikebukuro and found Ryuji. "Oh Keisuke… did it work out?" Ryuji asked. I shook my head and said: "No… the client had a… rather unique interpretation of the story's message, and I'm going to have to try to find something else." "Oh… that's too bad." Ryuji said. "Well thanks anyway, Ryuji. And here's the book back." I said as I returned it to him. He thanked me and then went off.

I then decided to check with Chitose to see if he had anything useful. He was a social type, so he seemed like he would have something that would work. I looked around and finally found him talking to Yuri at the entrance… soon he stopped and came back towards the cubicles where I was located and when he saw me, he said: "Hey Keisuke! What's going on?" "I was looking for something to help a client." I said back. "Oh really? What was that?" Chitose asked.

I then explained it to him and he said: "So you're looking for a book or comic to help your client understand friendship huh? Well I might have something. Wait here…" Chitose said. He then left and soon came back with two books in hand. He then said: "I have these two. Which one would work?" I saw the books… one had the title 'How to hook up with young hotties' and the other was called '101 ways to find the perfect lady'. These obviously weren't going to be the least bit of help…

"Erm… that's okay, I think I'll ask Erika…" I said back. "Huh? Why?" Chitose asked. "The client is a girl who is trying to make friends with a guy, Chitose…" I said. "Oh well why didn't you say something, man?! Yeah, Erika would be a good bet then." Chitose said. "Alright… thanks anyway." I said.

I then went to Erika's office and knocked on the door. She then said: "Come in." and I entered. Erika then turned around and said: "Oh Keisuke…!" and then I said: "Hi Erika. Would you mind if I asked for your help with something?" Erika then smiled and said: "No, not at all. What is it?" "Do you know of any good books or comics about tales of friendships, Erika? A client of mine wanted one to polish her skills." I said. Erika then looked perplexed before she said: "Books about friendship? Why did you take a case like that…? And what is your client expecting to learn about friendship by reading?"

"Right?! Thank you! You're the first person who's agreed with that that I've talked to, Erika." I said. Erika then smiled and said: "If learning friendship was as easy as reading a how-to, it wouldn't be so hard for so many people." "Oh, I agree! But I think my client's in her comfort zone when she's reading and she doesn't seem inclined to leave it…" I said back. Erika then sighed before she said: "Well, most of my comics are about school kids. Would that work?" "Sure. As long as they demonstrate good friendship skills." I said. Erika then looked up on a higher shelf and pulled two down before she said: "Okay… I have these two. Which do you want?"

I looked at them. One was called 'An unexpected love story' and the other was called 'The student body president and me'. "I guess I'll take the 'An unexpected love story' comic." I said. "Alright then. Here…" Erika said as she handed it to me. "Thank you, Erika. I'll return it to you right away after the client's looked at it." I said. "Good. Then I hope it'll do the trick!" Erika said.

I then left her office and returned to Yuuko in Nakano. When I arrived, Yuuko saw me and said: "Oh Keisuke! Do you have another story this time?" "I sure do! Here it is!" I said as I handed it to her. Once again, Yuuko read it very quickly before she said: "Alright, let's try again. A-he-hem…" and then she looked nervous before she said: "Oh no! I'm going to be late if I don't hurry! Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! Are you a student here too?" and then she paused before she said: "Oh? You'll show me where my classroom is?" and then she lightened up and smiled before she said: "Oh thank you, you're so nice! I guess this day won't be so bad after all!"

I then took out my phone and texted Yuuko these test results:

Body language: 12%

Social flow: 3%

Expected behaviors: 10%

Yuuko then checked her phone and eventually said: "Hmm… it looks like I'm getting warmer, but… not by much. At least I'm improving though…" I then shook my head and said: "Yuuko, if you're going to get anywhere, you're going to have to try and incorporate what the story is teaching you about friendship into a response you would say to the guy you're trying to befriend, not pretend you're a character from the story." Yuuko then nodded and said: "You're right…" she then went on: "Well, would you mind finding another story so I can try again?" "Leave it to me!" I said. Yuuko then smiled and said: "Thank you."

I then left and went back to Ikebukuro. I returned Erika's comic to her before I left her office, stepped forward a bit and sighed. I was out of people to ask… I guess I'm going to have to go back to looking through the print media in the office again… that wasn't really what bothered me though… what bothered me was that I wanted to solve the case in a day, but I was running out of time… I was going to have to work fast!

I then went back and looked through so many books and comics. I didn't find anything too useful at first… but then I found a comic that actually looked pretty good… it was called 'Summoner's Destiny'. It was a classic tale about a summoner who could call on powerful, mythical beasts and who travels with her friends to seal away a demon and save the region where she lived. The chapter that I thought I would present to Yuuko was one where the summoner is rescued from imprisonment by one of her friends and while there was a romance scene in it (which I feared would send Yuuko off-track again), I thought it would do.

I left the office with the comic, but when I got outside, I saw something discouraging: it was dusk! I really didn't have much time left to get this done now… I then headed to Nakano again and found Yuuko. When I approached her, she said: "Hello Keisuke. Have you found another one?" "Yes I have. I think this one is a much better prospect." I said. "Oh really? Let me see." Yuuko said. She then read the comic as fast as usual and then smiled before she said: "This one was really good. Okay, let's see if I can get this down. A-he-hem…" and then she smiled and looked relaxed as she said: "Oh, I'm glad to see you again. Have you been having a good day?" and then she said: "That's great. I have too. Hey, I thought it might be nice if we could meet up this weekend. Do you want to see that new movie that came out?" and then she smiled as she said: "Alright! That'll be nice to spend some time together. I can't wait for our adventure this weekend!"

 _This_ was a big improvement. For the first time, I wasn't worried if anyone was watching us. I then texted Yuuko these test results:

Body language: 100%

Social flow: 82%

Expected behaviors: 90%

Yuuko then looked at her phone and soon she smiled widely as she said: "Wow, what an improvement! What did I do that worked so well?" "Your body language was exactly what I'd expect in that situation and your topics were all normal ones that someone would discuss with their friends." I said. Yuuko then smiled and said: "Well, that went great! It looks like I'm about done. I would like to get one more chance to practice though…"

I wasn't sure how I would find another book or comic now, but then I had an idea: I wanted to put Yuuko's skills to the test in a situation where she thought she wasn't being graded and seeing how she would do with the element of pressure removed from her mind. I had a good idea of how to do it too, so I said: "Well why don't we put that on hold for a moment, hmm? After all, you must be tired and hungry from waiting around here all day. What do you say we go to a restaurant to regroup before we do that? I'll take you to one in Nakano of your choice."

Yuuko then beamed before she said: "GREAT! There's a rice omelet place down on the first floor that I love going to! Let's go there!" "Sure, no problem." I said. We then went to the restaurant Yuuko had mentioned. Yuuko and I were soon seated and after we made our orders, Yuuko started to make small talk with me. We talked about our favorite foods, where we went to school, our hobbies and all sorts of things. It was a lot of fun talking to Yuuko. Yuuko looked completely relaxed every step of the way and her facial expressions were always appropriate for the conversation. She did a good job of leading in making conversation, but she also gave me plenty of openings to talk too and her behavior was typical for a restaurant at all times… although she did have an appetite that bordered on the verge of being unnatural. I guess she must not have gotten a chance to eat from all of that waiting…

When we left the restaurant, Yuuko smiled and said: "Ahh, I feel so much better now! Thank you, Keisuke. I'm all ready to go now!" I smiled and said: "Great. One moment though…" and I started using my phone. Yuuko then looked confused and said: "What are you doing?" I then texted her these test results:

Body language: 100%

Social flow: 91%

Expected behaviors: 100%

I then said: "Just giving you your test results." Yuuko then looked panicked and said: "T-test results? What…?" and I smiled and said: "Forgive me Yuuko, but I wanted to see how you would carry yourself if I were to put you in a situation where you thought you weren't being graded and you had the chance to be yourself." Yuuko then looked down and said: "But… after I got such good results… I'm not sure I want to see these…" "Oh really? Well that's too bad… they were the best yet too…" I said. Yuuko's head shot up and she said: "R-really?" I then smiled and said: "Well go on! See them for yourself!" Yuuko then looked at them and then she smiled warmly when she saw them and said: "Oh my gosh, these are almost perfect…! But how? I didn't even read something this time…"

"Your body language was relaxed, but you were also paying close attention to me, the conversation flowed naturally and also had enough pauses that all lasted for ideal amounts of time and everything you did was expected and appropriate for the situation. I knew I was right, Yuuko—you know more about friendship than you give yourself credit for." I said. Yuuko then smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke… alright. Thanks to your encouragement and your teaching—though sometimes improvised—I think I'm ready now. I'm sure this'll work! And I'll send you your reward when I get home, don't worry!" I grinned and said: "Thank you, Yuuko. I'm glad that this was useful to you, just as I hope the last case I did for you so recently was too!"

Yuuko suddenly looked confused before she said: "Case? What case? Because the last one I sent you was to infiltrate Dreamin's server, but that wasn't really recent…" At that moment, I was shocked. Ryuji had said the case to infiltrate the cyber crimes investigation unit server had come from Zaxon… but Yuuko was acting like that never even happened… "What? What is it?" Yuuko said. "…Nothing. Never mind, you're right. I must have gotten some details mixed up." I said. Yuuko then smiled and said: "Well you've had a big day, so that's not surprising at all. Goodbye Keisuke—thanks again." I smiled and said: "No problem!" We then went our separate ways. As I stepped out into the streets, I saw it was nighttime now. What a day… but at least I had completed my goal! Woo-hoo! When I went back to Hudie, I returned the comic and left for the day.

The next day, I went to Hudie and went to a cubicle, preparing to check the BBS. Before I did though, I heard a: "Keisuke?" and I turned around to see it was Erika. "Good morning, Erika. What is it?" I asked. "I had something I wanted to talk to you about in my office. Do you have a moment?" Erika asked. I was a little confused when I heard this, but I said: "Of course. Let's go then." And we went to Erika's office. When we entered, I closed the door behind us and I said: "So what is it?" "Um…" Erika said before I said: "What, what is it?" Erika finally said: "Thank you for making me breakfast yesterday. It was the best food I'd eaten in a while. I had no idea you were such a good cook."

I smiled warmly when I heard this and said: "Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked it. Let me know if you want some more real food in the future, okay?" Erika smiled and said: "It's a deal." I grinned back and said: "So was that it?" Erika then reached into a drawer before she said: "No. For being so thoughtful, I… also wanted you to have this." And she held up a really nice, well-made wallet. "WOW! That looks great!" I said. Erika smiled and said: "I'm glad you like it. It took me a while to decide on it." "Of course! That makes the one I'm using now look like a piece of junk!" I said before I went on: "I know I can't use time I'm on the clock to switch the contents of my wallet to that one… but I'll be coming in tomorrow with it in my pocket, mark my words!" Erika still looked happy and said: "Great. That was all I had for you though. Good luck today." "Of course! You too, Erika!" I said.

I then left her office and prepared to go check the BBS, but then I switched my attention to going to the Digilab and checking to see if my Digimon could digivolve. I greeted Mirei as I entered and checked the terminal on the lower right-hand side… and (much to my surprise) I saw Ginryumon and Seadramon could! I then gathered up all of my Digimon and brought them back in again. When they were all there, I said: "I've got some good news for all of you! Two more Digimon are going to be digivolving to the ultimate level! "Alright! So who will it be this time?" Blanc asked. "Seadramon and Ginryumon." I answered. "Right on! I'm so excited! Make it happen, Keisuke!" Seadramon said.

I nodded and digivolved him into a MegaSeadramon—a giant, floating sea serpent. He was much taller and had a red back instead of an aquamarine one, along with many more flippers. He also had a yellow covering over his head that had a single sharp, jutting horn coming out of it, short green hair and a more pointed face (rather than one with rounded sides). He looked 10 feet tall now! When I saw him, I said: "Congratulations, MegaSeadramon! You're coming along nicely! Keep up the good work!" MegaSeadramon smiled and said: "I will! Thank you, Keisuke—I'll live up to my towering potential for sure!" We both then laughed and he went over with the others.

I then digivolved Ginryumon into a Hisyaryumon—a really cool, Japanese dragon-like Digimon. He had a red underbelly with a black, scaly back. There were yellow ring-like stripes all over him that went all the way around him. He had tasset-like yellow-and-black hip and shoulder armor and an impressive black and yellow face. He had two arms and legs and in his front claws he held an orange ball in his left hand and a green ball in his right hand. He had black bangles with yellow sides around his wrists and ankles. He looked 6'7 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Way to go, Hisyaryumon! You did a great job digivolving! You look really cool now too!" Hisyaryumon then grinned and said: "Thanks Keisuke! I'm looking forward to making even more accomplishments soon too!" I smiled and he floated over to the others. We were all excited for a while, but I hadn't forgotten what I had set out to do—I added Hisyaryumon, Blanc, Crescemon, Dorugamon, BlackGatomon, Ciel and BlueMetalGreymon to my phone (leaving Angewomon, MegaSeadramon, Taomon and Wingdramon in the farm island) before I left to check the BBS.


	29. Simon: Copy and Paste

Simon Chapter 14—Copy and Paste—

The next day, I went into the office and Kyoko looked up before I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Do we have any new cases today?" "Yes we do, actually. Makiko wanted us to investigate some unusual incidents in Akihabara. She will be coming in to fill us in on the details in 30 minutes, so don't go too far, alright?" Kyoko said. "Sure thing! Is there anything I can do to help around here in the meantime?" I asked. "Well you could pop in to K-Cafe and get me some more coffee beans… I'm just about out at the moment, hee-hee…" Kyoko said. I was disappointed when I heard this, but it sounded like it would take just the right amount of time… "…Alright then. I'll be back!" I said.

I then left for K-Cafe and picked up the coffee beans, hoping Kyoko wouldn't be asking me to try anything she made with them… I then hurried back to the agency on the first floor and entered. Kyoko looked up and said: "Ah, I see you're back ahead of schedule. Great work, Simon." I smiled and said: "Thank you, Kyoko. I'll put these away right now." before I went off and stored them in the side room (although I certainly would have rather buried them somewhere…) and then returned. I checked the clock and saw Makiko was going to be coming in 7 minutes, so I took a seat and waited instead.

It wasn't too long before Makiko entered the agency and Kyoko said: "Welcome, Makiko. Please do have a seat." And Makiko sat on one of the sofas (and Kyoko and I took a seat on the one across from her) as Kyoko went on: "So you said the string of incidents were occurring in Akihabara, right?" "Yes, that's correct. It's not a typical case, so that's why we were hoping you could help." Makiko said. "So what makes it so unusual?" I asked.

"I'll get straight to the point: we've been hearing all kinds of weird stories from girls and young women lately who are claiming that they've seen copies of themselves walking around with other guys—usually they're people that the women themselves either don't know or don't like." Makiko said. "WHAT? Copies of young women? So what's happening? Cloning?" I asked. Makiko shook her head and said: "I don't know… most of the young women who we asked claimed that they had heard of a company who is commercially selling these copies—whoever they may be—out in the open market, which would explain how they're ending up with people who the women themselves would never spend time with. They're all freaked out and we have reason to believe that this company is based in Akihabara and… we were hoping you would look into it."

"Alright, leave it to us." Kyoko said. "Good. You have my thanks. This is causing a panic not only in Akihabara, but anywhere the copies are sold, which currently is all over Tokyo. Please find the individuals responsible for it soon!" Makiko said. "We'll start immediately. If we find anything, we'll let you know." I said. "Thank you. Well then, I'd best be off. Don't be shy about keeping me posted on the details!" Makiko said. "Certainly. Good day, Makiko." Kyoko said. Makiko then left.

Kyoko then turned to me and said: "Well this certainly sounds disturbing. Copies of people appearing all over Tokyo…" "And only young women are being targeted… that's awful and shameless on the part of the perpetrators." I said. I then went on: "Nonetheless, that may make our job easier, as I can just reuse the same strategy I did with the Demons—" and then Kyoko said: "Ah, I see what you're saying. You'll pretend to be a customer again and get them to confess what they know. That sounds like a good way to start. Alright then, go on and do your best, Simon!"

I then headed straight for Akihabara. When I arrived, I started looking around for anyone who looked like they might be involved… I started asking around about where I could buy these 'copies' and some guys by an arcade soon divulged some useful information: they said that the copies were actually called dolls, created by the company Makiko had referenced—and it was called the living doll club. Based on what they said, the term 'dolls' wasn't quite the right word though—the 'dolls' themselves were actually more like robots, complete with an artificial intelligence. But they weren't machines either—they were created by use of a 3D printer that somehow scanned an unfortunate girl who was effectively being a model for them and then the doll itself was reprogrammed before being sold off. They also mentioned that they had reason to believe an arcade machine nearby may be connected to them somehow. When I heard that the models were real girls, I suddenly felt worried—I wanted to ask if they knew if anything was being done with the models, or what happened to them once they were scanned, but I didn't want to blow my cover, so I kept quiet for now. I asked where I could find the dealer that had sold them theirs and they said the dealer they knew was on a street nearby…

I then went to that street immediately, looking for anyone suspicious like that. The problem is not knowing what they looked like… I kept going around, until I soon heard a: "Hey, you there!" and I looked up to see a man in a black suit with black slacks looking at me. He was holding a briefcase… "Yes?" I asked. "How come you're on these streets alone? Are you looking for someone?" he asked. "Yes, actually. I was looking for a salesman from the living doll club." I said. The man then smiled very faintly (it looked like he was trying to restrain himself from smiling further, even) and said: "Ah, you know your stuff I see. Well if that's what you're looking for, look no further! I am in the living doll club!" "Oh that's great! I'd heard that you sell dolls that are like copies of attractive girls. Is that true?" I asked. "It most certainly is! That's all part of our 'super ultra true puppet' project! If you doubt us, I can even show you a photo of one of our dolls." The man said. "Sweet! Let's see it!" I said. "Alright then. Here…" the man said as he opened his briefcase, reached in and handed me a photo. I looked at it, but when I saw it, I was shocked: it was of Nokia!

The man then said: "Mind you, this one is one of our models that isn't selling so well, but I could show you some more attractive ones at our office if you like. We deal in all kinds of them, including—", but I simply couldn't keep my facial expressions under control. I gasped lightly and the man said: "What? What is it?" I then finally recovered and said: "Oh… nothing. It's just as you say: that one isn't attractive at all." I hated having to say that, but I couldn't think of any other way to cover for the fact that I gasped. Then I went on: "Thank you for offering, but I have to get to work soon. I would love to discuss this with you in further detail though. Could I have your business card?" and the man said: "Ah yes, of course. Here…" and he gave it to me. I then smiled and said: "Thank you. I'll call back soon!" "No problem. See you again!" the man said. And he went off.

I then hurriedly retraced my steps. If that man had a photo of a doll like Nokia… that meant that she had been one of the girls who had been scanned by them! I didn't know what they might be planning to do to her (or even if they had done something already) but I had to help her! I rushed back to the arcade machine where those guys were and connect jumped into it! When I was in there, I ran forward through the area until I came to a dead end with a bunch of pods up ahead behind two weird Digimon… they looked like six-legged spiders inside of a red-and-white shell with yellow spikes on it. Their feet were red with yellow, spiky nails and they had long, dark gray necks with white heads that had a red horn. They looked 6 feet tall.

There was also a Greymon and a Garurumon here. But then I stopped and thought: a Greymon and a… Garurumon? Then it hit me! I ran up and I heard Greymon angrily say: "Grr—you monsters! Let her go!" "That's our tamer! You don't have any right to keep her or any of them locked up like that!" Garurumon said. One of the other two Digimon shook its head and said: "We're just doing normal business. That's how it's done in the super ultra true puppet project." The other one then said: "And we don't take kindly to fools who interfere with us…" and I then yelled: "GREYMON! GARURUMON!" and they both turned around (and the spider-like Digimon looked up) and then Greymon said: "Simon! Oh thank god!" and Garurumon said: "These sick bugs are keeping us from getting to Nokia! You have to help us!"

So they had taken her away! I frowned and stepped up to the spider-like Digimon and said: "I'm going to give you one chance to back down." "Tch. _More_ meddling fools? This isn't our day…" one of them said. The other then said: "You sure have guts to threaten us. Let's see if you're better than these clowns we've been winning against." I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Infermon scan data: 20%". It said Infermon was a free type Digimon, so no one Digimon I could call out would do better than another… I decided to call out Elena, Larry and Daisy.

I then said: "Elena, get one of the Infermon with a lightning paw! Larry, join in with your tail hammer!" and Elena said: "Lightning paw!" and leapt at one of the Infermon before swiping at him with her claws. She then ran off and Larry said: "Tail hammer!" and smacked one of the Infermon with his tail. Greymon then said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell on himself, Garurumon and all of my Digimon to strengthen their damage output with non-magic attacks! Garurumon then said: "Grand rock 2!" and made a boulder appear where one of the Infermon was. It exploded moments later. One of the Infermon then said: "Spider shooter!" and opened its mouth, revealing a miniature cannon! It then fired four fireballs at Daisy! Daisy took it a little hard and looked rattled after the attack too… the other Infermon said: "Mach rush 2!" and he charged at our Digimon before creating a shockwave that knocked them all down. After everyone rose, Daisy said: "Flower cannon!" and put her wrists together before she shot a flower made of energy at one of the Infermon!

Garurumon then said: "Fox fire!" and spat blue flames at one of the Infermon. Greymon then said: "Mega flame!" and spat a giant fireball at the other one! One of the Infermon said: "Spider shooter!" and spat fireballs at Daisy again. She looked pretty hurt too… I then said: "Elena, use nightmare 2 on one of the Infermon! Larry, join in with tail hammer!" and Elena said: "Nightmare 2!" and made a purple blob of darkness form at one of the Infermon's heads before it burst and knocked the Infermon down—Larry then smashed him with his tail before he could get up! The other Infermon then said: "Destruction!" and jabbed Elena with its horn… and then she fell down and wouldn't get up! "WHAT?! Elena?" I said. The Infermon then laughed and Garurumon said: "That's a really nasty attack that can potentially inflict a bad status that knocks out your Digimon in an instant. Be careful!" That was really annoying… but then I stopped and thought… a bad status? It was then that I remembered Jason's support skill that had the power to randomly stop bad statuses from working! Now I had an idea. Seeing how worn poor Daisy was too, I called her and Elena back and sent in Jason and Winston.

Greymon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really power up his next attack! I then said: "Winston, give yourself a boost! Mental charge! Jason, give them a shining laser!" and Winston said: "Mental charge!" and strengthened his damage output with magic attacks, as well as his damage resistance to magic. Jason then said: "Shining laser!" and made pillars of light erupt from the ground that hit both of the Infermon! One of the Infermon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at Jason. The other then said: "Mach rush 2!" and charged at our Digimon again before knocking them down with a shockwave. Larry then said: "Guard charge!" and he cast a spell on Jason that reduced the damage he took from non-magic forms of damage! "Great thinking, Larry!" I said as Larry smiled. Garurumon then said: "Fox fire!" and spat blue flames at an Infermon again.

Greymon then said: "Alright Garurumon, let's attack together!" and Garurumon said: "You bet!" and Greymon said: "Mega flame!" and Garurumon said: "Fox fire!" and they blasted one of the Infermon with flames… and he wouldn't get up! The other Infermon looked shocked as he said: "No more games! Destruction!" and jabbed Greymon with his horn, but Greymon barely looked phased by the attack! "Jason, hit Infermon with saint knuckle 2! Winston, get him with Holy light 2! Larry, use tail hammer!" I said and Jason said: "Saint knuckle 2!" and his front paws began to shine with light and he ran up to Infermon and swiped at him with his paws. When Jason finished, Winston said: "Holy light 2!" and he made a shining cross of light explode where Infermon was—and he took it pretty hard too! Larry then joined in and slammed him with his tail.

Garurumon then said: "Grand rock 2!" while Greymon said: "Attack charge field!" and Garurumon attacked Infermon with another exploding boulder while Greymon strengthened everyone. Infermon then said: "Mach rush 2!" and attacked with it again. Greymon and Garurumon were really starting to look beat after he attacked. I guess we'll have to finish this fast! I then said: "Winston, use heaven's knuckle!" and Winston said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and his fist started to shine before he projected a beam of light from it that blasted Infermon and thoroughly knocked him out!

When the Infermon fell, one of them said: "Oh no, this is terrible… we're really going to get an earful for losing to two intruders… what do we do?" and then the other Infermon said: "Forget it! Let's get out of here!" and they ran off. Greymon and Garurumon were still breathing hard before Greymon said: "Simon… thank you. We can rescue Nokia now because of you." "You can thank me later Greymon! Where is Nokia anyway?!" I asked. "She'll be in one of these pods. We'd better find her fast though—the Infermon was saying that anyone inside the pods loses some of their memories, so they can't remember what happened when they were scanned!" Garurumon said. "WHAT? No! Then we'll have to hurry!" I said.

We then looked over the pods and saw there were a few in the area, all filled with young women. Greymon, Garurumon and I searched them all, and eventually saw one with Nokia inside! She was unconscious in there and standing upright… "Aha! There she is!" Garurumon said. "Yeah, but… how do we get her out of there? If I did it, I'd break Nokia, along with the pod…" Greymon said. "Yeah… I'd probably do the same thing…" Garurumon said.

"Then let me!" I said as I punched the glass with my fist and shattered it. Nokia then came falling forward and I caught her as she started coughing and regained consciousness. I then said: "Nokia!" and Nokia looked up as she said: "S-Simon? And Greymon and Garurumon? How did you all get in here…?" "Never mind that! Can you walk?" I asked. Nokia tried to, but slipped and fell as I helped her up.

"Why those scum…! Their attempt to erase her memory must have weakened her!" Greymon said. "E-erase my memory?" Nokia said. "Yeah, that's what those Infermon guards said." Garurumon said before he went on: "But Nokia… can you remember what happened before they stuffed you inside that pod?" "Well sure… they asked me if I wanted to be a model for a project they were working on and I said yes… and then they grabbed me and took me into a building where they scanned me with… something… and knocked me out after that. The next thing I knew I was here…" Nokia said. Garurumon looked furious and gave a low growl before he said: "I can't believe it! If only I could exist on Earth, I'd eat them for a snack!" "But at least Nokia's memories are intact. That's one thing we can take great comfort in." Greymon said. "Right." I said as I put Nokia's arm around my shoulder to steady her and helped Nokia keep walking out. Eventually, we got to the teleportation pad I had come in from and I said: "Let's get out of here. We've got to get you back to safety." Nokia nodded and said: "Okay." And we logged out.

The next thing I knew, we were in the streets of Akihabara outside the arcade again. When we were there, Nokia gave a sigh of relief and said: "Whew… am I ever glad to be out of there!" "Yeah… and not a moment too soon." I said. And then I went on: "But I'm so sorry they conned you Nokia. Those guys were so despicable…" "Darn right! But Simon…" Nokia said as I looked up and she went on: "How did you know I was there? And how did you get in?"

It looked like I didn't have any choice… I then explained to Nokia the case I was on, my connect jump ability and how I could use it. By the end, Nokia looked shocked and said: "So you're not even flesh and blood anymore… the Eater made you into a digital being…" I looked down before Nokia said: "I can't believe it! I thought you escaped safely, but it looks like that was far from the reality of the situation… Simon, I'm so sorry…" and then she went on: "But thank you so much for coming to rescue me! That wouldn't have ended so well if it weren't for you." I smiled and said: "Anytime." Nokia then took her arm off my shoulder and said: "I think I can walk home from here. Thank you so much for your help—" and then I said: "Oh no, you don't! I'm not letting those thugs grab you again! I'm not going to let you out of my sight until we're at least out of Akihabara."

Nokia then looked surprised and said: "What's gotten into you all of a sudden…?" "I didn't go all the way out there and risk all that I did just so they could ambush you later and capture you again! Seriously, it'll be safer if we travel together." I said. Nokia then nodded and said: "…Okay." We then left Akihabara and I walked her back with me to Nakano before Nokia said: "Well this ought to be far enough now, wouldn't you say?" I chuckled and said: "Definitely. Be sure to stay out of Akihabara for a while, okay? At least until my client and I have this all sorted out." "Yes sir." Nokia said jokingly. We both laughed together before she said: "But thank you so much. I guess I'll do some shopping here before I head home. Bye, Simon!" I smiled and said: "Good to hear. See you, Nokia!"

I then went back to the agency. When I arrived, Kyoko looked up and I said: "Good news, Kyoko—the case has been solved!" "That was pretty fast. So how were all of these copies of girls appearing all over Tokyo?" Kyoko asked. I then relayed the information I had learned to her and Kyoko eventually said: "So they're scanning people and selling off lookalike dolls with an AI into the open market… how despicable." "Indeed. But I have some good news as well—I managed to get a business card from one of them! Once I hand it over to Makiko, they're going to be busted!" I said. "Excellent. That will be very useful to Makiko indeed. That was good thinking, Simon." Kyoko said. I grinned and said: "Thanks, Kyoko!"

I then sent Makiko a text, asking when she could meet with us so I could offer my report to her. Makiko soon replied that she could meet later that afternoon. Since I had a few hours until she was going to arrive, I decided to go to the Digilab. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and decided to check if I could digiconvert any more Digimon. I looked and saw there were plenty of options! I decided to digiconvert a Punimon. Soon an egg appeared before me and I saw the egg's walls get broken down in a matter of moments before Punimon was right before me!

I then smiled and picked Punimon up and petted it as I said: "Hi buddy! Welcome to the world! My name's Simon and I'll be happy to help you every step of the way!" Punimon smiled back and I put Jason, Zephyr, Sabrina, Daisy, Elena, Scott and Punimon itself into my phone (leaving Pepper, Larry, Winston and Zachary in the farm island) before I went out to train them in Kowloon.

After Punimon had been in some battles, I took everyone back to the Digilab and checked to see if anybody could digivolve… and I found that not only Punimon could, but so could Sabrina, Larry, Elena, Zachary and Winston! I then brought everybody in and said: "Looks like we've got a lot of digivolutions ahead of us! This'll be an exciting time for everyone!" "Alright! Who's digivolving today?" Daisy asked. "Punimon, Sabrina, Larry, Elena, Zachary and Winston are!" I said. "Wow! That is a lot! Alright, let's get started!" Zephyr said.

I then started off with Punimon. I proceeded to digivolve him into a Tsunomon. When the process was complete, I said: "Great work digivolving so soon, Tsunomon! You're doing great!" Tsunomon then smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon! I'll keep working hard and doing my best!" Tsunomon then went on: "Although there is something I noticed that I'm confused about…" and I said: "Yes?" "I saw you gave all of your other Digimon names. Why not me?" Tsunomon asked. "I was waiting until you digivolved, but I'll be happy to work one out with you now." I said. "Oh, alright. So what'll it be?" Tsunomon asked. We then determined that his name would be Gil.

After Gil went back to the others, I digivolved Sabrina into a Taomon— She walked on two legs and was wearing a white sweater-like garment with sleeves that appeared to be longer than her arms were and there were various symbols on her sweater-like garment. She also wore purple pants and stood on her bare feet, which were two white paws. She had yellow fur with pointed ears and her face was yellow and furry too, with some black markings and she had an Asian style hat on her head. She looked 5'10 tall.

After the process ended, I said: "Great going Sabrina! You've really come a long way!" Sabrina then grinned and said: "There's more to come too. I'll keep it up, just watch and see." I smiled and said: "I know you will." And Sabrina went off with the others.

After that, I digivolved Larry next. I chose for him to digivolve into a SkullGreymon—he walked on two legs and looked like a giant dinosaur skeleton with a horn on his head, three bones growing off of either side of his spine and he had a yellow-and-orange missile on his spine. He looked 9'6 tall. When the process ended, I said: "Great job, Larry! I'm happy for you that you digivolved!" Larry then grinned slightly and said: "Thanks. I'm excited myself. I'll keep it up." Scott then teased Larry by saying: "Really? I couldn't even tell you were excited." Everyone else then laughed as Larry grinned and said: "Yeah, yeah…" and went off with the others.

After that ended, I digivolved Elena into a Knightmon. I initiated the process, and when it finished, she walked on two legs and was clad in silver armor from head to toe. She also had a helm, a black kilt and a shield bound to her back. She held a giant broadsword in her left hand and looked 6'5 tall. I then said: "Way to go, Elena! You've really come a long way… especially in height! You must be three times as tall as you used to be!" Elena then chuckled and said: "Yes, I suppose so. It'll take some getting used to… but no more so than the others, like Larry and Pepper, I suppose. Don't worry! I'll keep on going without any trouble." I smiled and said: "That's the way, Elena! Keep up the good work!" She then went off with the others.

I then checked to see what Zachary and Winston could digivolve into… and I was surprised to see that one of the options would allow them to digivolve with each other! More accurately, it was called 'DNA digivolution', where both Digimon combined with each other into one and gained extraordinary power… it said that the resulting Digimon would in many ways take more after the Digimon who was used first in the digivolution (known as the base) though… it said neither Digimon would disappear, but instead would retain spiritual consciousness as two parts of the new Digimon, although they weren't really two halves of a whole… it said it was more like 65-35, with the 65 being the base…

"Oh wow…" I said. Winston then looked up and said: "What is it, Simon?" "Well, for you and Zachary, it actually says you both can digivolve with each other—" I began and then Zachary said: "Ah, DNA digivolution is it?" and then he turned to Winston and said: "What do you think? Are you up for it?" "I welcome it. With your good nature and my passion for heroics, we could accomplish anything!" Winston replied. "So you both want to do it… but I'm not sure how I feel about this…" I said. "Aw, come on Simon! If we're okay with it, why shouldn't you be?" Zachary asked. "That's right. Besides, neither one of us will disappear or cease to exist from it. Let's go ahead and do it!" Winston said.

I still wasn't sure how I felt, but I finally smiled and said: "Well… alright. If you're both fired up about it, let's give it a try!" I then initiated the process (using Zachary as the base) and Zachary and Winston rose up into the air until they turned into small white balls and spun around until Winston's merged into Zachary's until it came down and expanded outward. I then saw what they became—a Shakkoumon. He floated over the ground and was relatively humanoid. He was made entirely of silver metal, although he had gold rings around his ankles, thighs, wrists and neck. He had a silver-and-gold metal kilt with a sun on the front. He had a blue gem in the middle of his chest and red gems in each shoulder. He also had white wings and a gold talisman on the top of his head. He had red rings around his eyes (which were basically yellowish-white horizontal lines) and looked 6'7 tall.

When the process was over, I said: "So how do you feel?" and Shakkoumon said: "Great! I'm readier than ever to help out you and everyone else! Count on it!" I smiled and said: "Great! I'm glad you have such a good attitude about this! Although there's still something I can't help but wonder…" and Shakkoumon said: "Hmm?" I then said: "What should I call you now? Zachary? Winston? Or something else?" "Well now that I'm a new Digimon, I think I would like to be called something else." Shakkoumon said. "Alright. How does Eustace sound?" I asked. "Great! Let's go with it!" Shakkoumon said. I smiled and said: "Alright then. Let's get this started in style, Eustace!" He nodded and floated off with the others.

I then put Sabrina, Zephyr and Eustace in the farm island (leaving Jason, Pepper, Daisy, Elena, Larry, Scott and Gil in my phone) and went out to train my Digimon more. When I returned to the Digilab, I checked to see if Gil could digivolve again… and he could! I called him out and when Gil was out, he said: "Hey Simon. What's going on?" I then smiled and said: "You're ready to digivolve again Gil, so I thought I'd start the process up!" Gil then smiled and said: "That's great! Let's get started then!" and I nodded.

I then digivolved him into a Goblimon. When the process ended, I said: "You're coming along great, Gil! I can't wait to see how much further you'll go!" Gil then smiled and said: "Yeah, I'm excited too! I won't let you down, Simon!" I smiled and then went back out to resume training.

Later on, I returned to the Digilab and saw Gil was ready to digivolve again! I then called him out and Gil looked around before he said: "Ahaha… time to digivolve again?" "You bet! Now let's get to it!" I said. I then proceeded to digivolve him into a Growlmon, like Scott used to be. When the process was over, I said: "Congratulations, Gil! You're all caught up with some of the others now!" Gil then grinned and said: "Yup, that's true! I'm glad to be up with everyone else at their level!" We both smiled and then I called him back.

I then left the Digilab and went back to the agency, waiting for Makiko to arrive. Soon enough, she came through the door and Kyoko said: "Welcome back, Makiko." Makiko then said: "Thank you." Before she turned to me and said: "So you said you found out what's going on, right? What's the story?" I then told Makiko everything and by the end of it, she looked furious and said: "So these jerks have been tricking young women, scanning them, selling off lookalike copies and deleting their memories?! Why those little…! If only I could, I'd arrest them on the spot!" "But you can, Makiko. I persuaded one of them to give me something that will make that a walk in the park." I said. "Huh? What's that?" Makiko asked.

"This." I said as I pulled out the business card that man had given me. Makiko then looked it over and smiled (almost evilly) before she looked happier and she said: "Brilliant, Simon! This'll make catching him a cinch! I can't wait to put this loser behind bars! And we'll be sure to free those poor girls who were captured too!" She then went on: "Great work! Here's your fee—you've more than earned it!" Makiko then paid us our fee and thanked us again before she left.

The next day, I checked with Kyoko if we had any new cases, but she said we didn't. I trained my Digimon in Kowloon for a while, but before I could go any further, I heard my phone start to ring. I checked it and it said it was from Kyoko! I picked it up and said: "Hello?" "Hi Simon. Sorry to interrupt what you're doing, but we've got an amazing case coming up very soon. For this case, we have more than one client and the earliest they could both meet us was in an hour, so that's when the meeting's been scheduled for." Kyoko said. I then said: "Wow, that is early. Alright, I'll be there soon!" "Excellent. Make sure you don't miss it—I'm really excited for this one." Kyoko said. I smiled and said: "That's great. Don't worry, I won't miss it!" "Great. Then I'll see you soon, Simon." Kyoko said. We then said goodbye and hung up.

I was happy to hear Kyoko revitalized by whatever this case was… I had even heard it in her voice. I then trained my Digimon for about 30 minutes before I logged out and headed to the agency to see what this was all about!


	30. Simon: Heart of the Avalon server

Simon Chapter 15—Heart of the Avalon server—

When I returned to the agency, Kyoko looked up and said: "Ah, I see you've arrived. Excellent, Simon. The clients will be arriving in a little less than 24 minutes, so they'll be here soon." I nodded and said: "Okay! I'm looking forward to seeing what this is all about!" I then took a seat and waited for a bit.

Eventually, I saw the door open and I saw who the clients were: Arata and Yuuko! As they came through the door, Kyoko said: "Welcome, Arata and Yuuko. It's good to see you both again." Arata then grinned and said: "Hey, Kyoko. Good to be back." "Yes. It's been a while since I submitted my last case here." Yuuko said. I then smiled and said: "It's always good to see friends coming in with a case! So you were both of the clients?" "Yup, that's right. Originally, I went to Yuuko—asking if she knew anything about the Eaters—and she suggested we come to you for help." Arata said. "Indeed. So would you mind reiterating your case for us, Arata?" Kyoko asked.

Arata and Yuuko then sat on one of the couches (and Kyoko and I got on the one across from them) as he said: "Not at all! Stating the objective first, I want to really dig deep into Kamishiro's Avalon server—" and then I said: "HUH? What for?" "I want the information on the Eaters that Kamishiro knows, as well as their activities. I've been looking into it for a while, but I've had no luck, so I think the only place I'm going to find the information that I'm looking for is there." Arata said. "Yes, it's likely it would be stored there. Although there is another target that might be even better…" Yuuko began and then we all turned to her as I said: "And what's that?"

"The Valhalla server. It has all of the information Kamishiro has ever stored ever since it came into existence. It would be guaranteed to have everything that all of us are looking for." Yuuko said. Arata's eyes then widened and he said: "WHAT?! Forget it! The Valhalla server has state of the art security, it's arguably the strongest in the world! There's no way we'd get anything out of that except for a bloody nose. We can't go in there!" He then went on: "We should stay focused on the Avalon server. It's something we can do and still a place where something has to be waiting."

Yuuko looked a little bit disappointed, but finally said: "…Well, that's fine with me. It wouldn't do for us to choke biting off more than we could chew." "Exactly right! Besides, getting into the Avalon server is going to be hard enough. We'll need everyone's help to pull it off—my hacking expertise, Yuuko's connections, Simon's skill with Digimon and hacking and Kyoko to monitor what's going on from the outside and update us as we go." Arata said.

"That's certainly true, and I'll be happy to help with getting you through there. All the same though, we should work out how we're going to do this step-by-step. The Avalon server isn't the right place to improvise on the fly." Kyoko said. "Exactly. Well the group would be split into three teams—Kyoko would remain here and observe what's going on from the outside, Yuuko would use her connections and knowledge of Kamishiro to get the password for the secret room—" Arata began, and then I said: "Secret room?" "It's a room which only Rie can access. It would be where you would be looking for files that would be useful. The password is changed every few months, which is why I would need to dig it up." Yuuko said.

"And you're okay with doing that, Yuuko?" I asked. "Yes, it's fine by me. I'm upset with Kamishiro and those who have hijacked it myself." Yuuko said. Arata then went on: "And Simon and I would be going into the server itself, working our way through and extracting information in the secret room. Once that's done, we could work our way out and return here. Simple enough, right?" I chuckled and said: "I guess. But how are we going to get close to the server?" Arata then grinned and said: "Remember? There's a beta test for the updated EDEN coming up. That'll make it easy for us to get close." "Er-oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that." I said. "Right. So we'll go on site and look for someone accessing the network. I'll create a distraction while Simon accesses the server." Arata said. He then turned to me and went on: "But if you find someone accessing the network first, text me to tell me to start making a scene. Likewise, I'll text you to tell you if I find a spot. Once you're in, you can send me the URL, and I'll get in there and follow."

"Sounds doable… but when is the event going to be held?" I asked. "It's tomorrow at 10 in the morning, actually. So at least we won't be waiting long." Arata said. "Wow, that is soon…" I said. "Exactly. So we're off the hook until then, but we'll need to get in position quick when the time comes!" Arata said.

"Fine with me! Although…" I began, and then everyone looked at me before I asked: "The EDEN beta test takes place at Kamishiro's headquarters, right?" Arata and Yuuko nodded and I said: "Well then there's a problem, which is that I don't have the URL for it—" and then Yuuko said: "Oh that's no problem at all. I can give it to you. Here…" and she started using her phone before I felt mine vibrate and I checked it and saw Yuuko had sent me the URL! "Great! Thanks, Yuuko! With this, the mission will be a success for sure!" I said.

"That's the spirit. We'll lay low until tomorrow, then dig deep into the treasure trove that is the secret room." Kyoko said. "Sounds good to me! Well as long as we've got our plan, I'd say we're done here. See you tomorrow, everyone!" Arata said.

We all nodded and went through the rest of the day. The next day I went to the Digilab first thing in the morning and switched out my Digimon. For an infiltration of this scale, only my best Digimon would do! I added Pepper, Zephyr, Daisy, Sabrina, Scott, Larry, Gil and Eustace to my phone (leaving Jason and Elena in the farm island together) and then I left and logged into Kamishiro's headquarters. When I arrived, I looked around and eventually found Arata in the crowd. When he saw me, I waved at him and he nodded before he approached me.

We then waited as other people showed up, until a man in a suit with slacks and a tie stepped up to a podium and spoke into a microphone. He said: "Good morning everyone! Thank you all for coming today to try out the new features of EDEN! As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions, so please don't be afraid to tell us what you think of what we have to show you on the venue. Now please come in and enjoy yourselves!"

And he stepped aside before we all went inside of one of the buildings. An employee took us up to a higher floor where there were many terminals and booths set up, as well as windows that were surrounded by sky-like scenery. "Heh. Not bad. But then that's what I'd expect of Kamishiro today." Arata said. "Yup! Now let's look around!" I said. Arata nodded and we started looking around for someone connected to the network. Soon I spotted an employee accessing one of the computers. I then took out my phone and texted Arata the words: "Found it." In a moment, I saw Arata go up to one of the terminals where people were gathered and he said loudly: "Whoa! Look at this! What an incredible program! That is so cool!" Everyone then turned to him and I saw a man come up to Arata and say: "Young man, please keep your voice down!" He was doing a great job! I then connect jumped into the terminal and managed to get into the Avalon server from there.

Now I'd have to wait for Arata to show up… I didn't like the idea of having to stay idle here though… I waited for a few minutes and soon enough, Arata appeared! "Good job getting here so fast. Are you ready?" I said. "Of course! Let's get moving!" Arata said. I nodded and we started working our way through the server. Surprisingly, it was really quiet here—there weren't even any Digimon! I then said to Arata: "Has Yuuko recovered the password yet?" "Not as of the last time I checked. That being said, Yuuko's a bit behind schedule in relation to where we are, but her job isn't easy anyway. We'd better be patient." Arata said. "Guess so…" I said.

We kept going until we hit a dead end that had a terminal with a teleportation pad next to it… but the teleportation pad had no power. I then heard Arata say: "A teleportation pad that requires a terminal to use… I'd say this has to be it." "Must be. Hang on, I'll contact Kyoko…" I said. I then called her and soon I heard her say: "Hello, Simon." "Hi Kyoko. Arata and I have arrived at the entrance to the secret room. Has Yuuko recovered the password yet?" I asked. "Yes she has. I'll send it to you now…" Kyoko said. "Okay, great! Thanks, Kyoko!" I said.

We then hung up and soon I got a text from Kyoko that said: "Secret room password: Yuuko_Kamishiro*_is_like_my_daughter." When I saw this password, I was surprised. Rie obviously really respected Yuuko if she was willing to make a password like this… it almost made me feel guilty. Although if that was what I thought, I could only imagine what Yuuko felt…

Finally, I heard Arata say: "What? Did she send the password, Simon?" "…Yes she did." I said. "So what was it?" Arata asked as he prepared to use the terminal. I then told him and he looked surprised before he said: "…Really? That's amazing…" then he went on: "Still, I don't think Yuuko would try to pull a prank at a time like this. I'll put it in now…"

And he put the password into the terminal… and the teleportation pad regained power! "Wow… that really worked!" Arata said. "I guess she must really respect Yuuko… I'm not sure how or why things got between her and Yuuko as they have…" I said. "That's something I'd like to know too, but now's not the time! Let's get in there!" Arata said.

We then got on the pad and it warped us into a room with white-and-pink colored walls, a fancy white bed set up, a dresser and a small table with a mirror set up on the front and a chair by it. It also had perfumes set out on it… "You've got to be kidding… _this_ is the secret room?!" Arata said. "It doesn't look like a normal place of business that's for sure…" I said. "Tch… no kidding." Arata said. He then went on: "Still, there's got to be somewhere where the files are stored in here. Let's search." I nodded and we looked around. I checked the perfume table while Arata went to the dresser.

The perfumes were really strong and made concentrating harder, but I checked the drawers… and didn't find anything that looked even remotely useful. I then heard Arata say: "Ewwww…" and a drawer close one second later. I wasn't sure what he had found… but I wasn't inclined to check. I then went over to the bed and pulled the blanket on it aside… and found a diary underneath it!

I then picked it up and started looking it over. Inside it had many details written about Kamishiro… and some were revolutionary! Particularly one I got to—it said that the digital shifts we had seen in Tokyo had actually been controlled by Kamishiro all this time! When I read it, I couldn't help but say: "WHOA!"

Arata then turned around and I heard him say: "What? What is it?" and just as quickly, I heard him say: "Hey… what's that? Did you find some kind of data record?" I looked up and said: "I'd say so! This is chock-full of revelations about Kamishiro's activities!" _THIS_ got Arata's attention. When he heard this, he looked intrigued and said: "Really? Like what?" "Well, Kamishiro's been responsible for all of the digital shifts in Tokyo for one…" I said.

"Wh-what? So Kamishiro's been spawning and controlling the digital waves?!" Arata said. "Yes! It's all entailed in here!" I said. "Simon—download that thing right now! I'll keep looking for anything else we can use!" Arata said. I nodded and downloaded the files in the diary. It took a while, but eventually the process concluded. "Alright, it's all been saved!" I said. "Great work, Simon! Unfortunately, it looks like there's nothing else of use in here… that thing turned out to be the only object in here worth protecting, although it's plain to see why they'd want to guard that…" Arata said. "You can say that again, Arata! Well as long as we've searched the entire area and claimed our prize, we'd better get out of here while the going's still good!" I said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It sounds good to me too—my sense of smell won't be long for this world if I spend any more time around that perfume of hers." Arata said. We both laughed as we left the secret room.

We then retraced our steps back out of the Avalon Server and logged out back at the venue for the EDEN beta test, but we were in for a huge surprise when we got there—there were human bodies littered all over the ground… and Eaters with them! There were two that looked normal and another one that was one of the kinds that looked human-shaped. "NO! How could they?!" Arata asked. "Tch… ruthlessness sure is a prized characteristic in Rie's company…" I said before I went on: "Well, we've got to get rid of these Eaters! Come on, Arata!"

I then called out Zephyr, Sabrina and Eustace while Arata called out his Digimon… who had now digivolved into an Infermon! I then said: "Zephyr, give yourself a boost! Sabrina, give Eustace a boost too!" and Zephyr said: "Agility charge!" and cast a spell on himself to raise his awareness. Sabrina then said: "Mental charge!" and cast a spell on Eustace that raised his damage output with magic attacks, as well as his damage resistance to magic attacks. One of the regular Eaters then had waves of data emerge around it while the other one went into high gear and zoomed up to our Digimon before causing a shockwave that knocked them down (but they all got up). Arata then said: "Infermon, use spider shooter on one of the Eaters with the tentacles!" and Infermon said: "Spider shooter!" and opened his mouth (revealing a small cannon) and he spat four fireballs at one of them. The Eater also looked a little rattled after that. The human-shaped Eater then swung its arms at Sabrina and hit her before it backed away. Eustace then said: "Disaster blaster!" and his eyes started to glow before he fired lasers from them at each Eater! Each laser hit each one and then they got up.

Sabrina then said: "Talisman of light!" and she conjured a giant paint brush which she used to draw a Japanese character and then she swung it at the character, sending it flying at one of the regular Eaters! The regular Eater looked like it took it a little hard before it recovered, too! One of the regular Eaters and the human-like Eater then had waves of data emerge around them too! Arata then said: "Infermon, use destruction cannon 3 on the Eater you last targeted!" and Infermon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at one of the regular Eaters. I then followed up by saying: "Zephyr, you help too! Use kunai wing! Eustace, use another disaster blaster!" and Zephyr said: "Kunai wing!" and targeted the Eater that Infermon had just attacked by leaping into the air and spreading his wings together in front of him, sending three kunai that were hidden inside of them flying at the Eater! Eustace then said: "Disaster blaster!" and shot lasers from his eyes at all the Eaters again! One of the regular Eaters then had its tentacles start to crackle with electricity and it went up to Eustace before it swiped them at Eustace… and it looked like Eustace was in pain as he got up. He must be paralyzed…

I then said: "Sabrina, give yourself a boost! Zephyr, give the same Eater another kunai wing!" and Zephyr said: "Kunai wing!" and attacked the Eater with kunai again. Sabrina then said: "Mental charge!" and cast a spell on herself that boosted her magic damage output and damage resistance. Arata then said: "Infermon, attack the same Eater! Spider shooter!" and Infermon said: "Spider shooter!" and fired four fireballs at it! One of the regular Eaters had its eyes start to glow purple, then it thrusted them out at Sabrina and squeezed her tightly with them before it retracted them. The other Eater did the same thing, only it targeted Infermon. The human-shaped Eater then sent its arms at Zephyr, but he sidestepped them before the Eater retracted them. Eustace then tried to stand up straight, but then fell back into a hunched over position…

Arata then said: "Infermon, hit the same Eater! Spider shooter!" and Infermon attacked with it again. The Eater looked rattled once again too! One of the regular Eaters then charged at our Digimon and knocked them down with a shockwave. The other one had the waves of data emerge around itself. I then said: "Sabrina, use talisman of light! Zephyr, use kunai wing on the Eater Infermon's been attacking! Eustace, give them a disaster blaster!" and then Sabrina said: "Talisman of light!" and attacked one of the regular Eaters with it again. Zephyr then said: "Kunai wing!" and struck the Eater who Infermon had been attacking. Eustace then stood up and said: "Disaster blaster!" and fired lasers at the Eaters again. The human-shaped Eater then had waves of data emerge around itself too…

I then said: "Zephyr, boost yourself again! Agility charge! Sabrina, give Eustace a boost with mental charge!" and they did so before Arata said: "Infermon, mach rush 2!" and Infermon said: "Mach rush 2!" and also charged at the Eaters at high speed before knocking them down with a shockwave. One of the regular Eaters' eyes turned purple before it thrust its tentacles at Sabrina and wrapped them around her tightly, knocking her down! Sabrina looked badly hurt, so I said: "Eustace! Can you give Sabrina an X-heal?" and Eustace tried to, but was overcome by pain again… the other Eater then had its eyes turn purple and attacked Sabrina with its tentacles, and that was it for her… she was down. I called her back and sent in Larry. The human-shaped Eater then thrust its arms at Zephyr, but he once again evaded the attack.

I then said: "Zephyr, give one of the Eaters a kunai wing! Larry, join in with an oblivion bird!" and Zephyr said: "Kunai wing!" and attacked the Eater before Larry hunched forward on all fours and said: "Oblivion bird!" and fired the orange missile on his spine at the Eater and it exploded (a new one appeared on his spine momentarily, too)! As Larry returned to a standing position, the Eater was done! It threw up its tentacles and faded away! Arata then said: "Infermon, attack the human-shaped Eater! Spider shooter!" and Infermon did so. The other Eater's eye then turned purple and it thrust its tentacles at Infermon again, who recovered. The human-shaped Eater then had the waves of data emerge around it again. By now, Eustace looked back to normal, so I said: "Eustace, attack the regular Eater with holy light 3!" and Eustace said: "Holy light 3!" and conjured a shining, exploding cross of light where that Eater was—and it looked beat too!

Arata then had Infermon attack the regular Eater with a destruction cannon 3 while I called back Zephyr and sent in Scott—I had an idea for how to finish this fast! I then said: "Larry, finish off the regular Eater! Oblivion bird!" and Larry said: "Oblivion bird!" and shot the orange missile on his spine at the Eater… and it collapsed and faded away too! Eustace then said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked the remaining Eater with it… but it didn't look like it did much… the remaining Eater then thrust its arms at Eustace and attacked him with them.

Given how Eustace was doing, I decided to call him back and send Daisy in instead. After I did so, Arata had Infermon attack the Eater with another spider shooter—and it looked rattled from the attack! The Eater then used its arms to attack Daisy (which looked like it worked pretty well) before I said: "Scott, give Larry a boost! Larry, use acceleration boost!" and Scott said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on Larry that increased his damage output with non-magic attacks. Larry then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack!

Arata then had Infermon attack with spider shooter again, and the Eater thrust its arms at Infermon and retracted them (Infermon was looking bushed as well) before I said: "Scott, give Larry another boost! Daisy, attack with flower cannon! Larry, oblivion bird!" Scott then said: "Attack charge!" and he strengthened Larry again before Daisy said: "Flower cannon!" and put her wrists together before she shot a flower made of energy at the Eater. It got back up, but then Larry said: "Oblivion bird!" and shot the missile on his back and it blasted the Eater… and that was all it could take! It fell on its back, didn't get up and faded away!

Arata then looked down at the people on the ground and said: "Those poor people… more victims of EDEN Syndrome at the hands of Kishibe!" "It's a tragedy, that's for sure… but there's no more we can do for them. For now, we'd better get back while the going's still good!" I said. Arata nodded slowly and we left the venue and logged out.

We then made our way back to the agency. When we arrived, Arata and I stepped in and we saw Kyoko, as well as Yuuko. When Kyoko saw us, she said: "I'm happy to see you made it back safely after those Eaters were unleashed—" and then Arata said: "Yeah, we noticed. I can't believe they would let them consume the mental data of those poor people who they invited like that…" "It's downright horrible of them, that's for sure! And they won't be taking any heat for it either—now they're claiming it was hackers who unleashed the Eaters at the beta test in order to avoid taking any heat from the press." Yuuko said. "Tch. Predictable enough…" I said.

"That being said—given what was lost—I hope this search yielded something useful. Did you find anything?" Kyoko asked. "Did we ever! We got some files pertaining to Kamishiro's recent activities—and they're explosive!" I said. "What? Then let's see!" Yuuko said. We then went over the files, and this time we could read them all… and there was even more content in here that was whopping!

Besides Kamishiro controlling the digital shifts, there was also reference to the first EDEN beta test that had been held several years ago where there were five participants—and one of them had acquired EDEN Syndrome during the test! And on top of all that, there was also a detailed outline of something they called the 'Paradise Lost plan' in here… it said it was a plan to make it possible to connect Earth and the Digital World where all Digimon came from to each other and allow free passage through to all humans and Digimon—and it said Suedou was the architect of the plan!

By the end of it all, we were dumbfounded… finally, Arata said: "So Kamishiro is planning to connect Earth and the Digital World together? Why? What's that supposed to accomplish?" "We're the wrong people to ask, Arata… I doubt she's crazy enough to try to conquer it or exploit the Digimon, but as of now, there's no way to know…" I said. "And to think EDEN Syndrome has existed for years… it's not a recent phenomenon at all…" Yuuko said.

"That is true and these are some amazing revelations, although there is still one thing that's got me confused…" I began and then Kyoko said: "Hmm?" I then turned to Yuuko and said: "Yuuko—you saw the password to the secret room, didn't you?" Yuuko then nodded and I said: "If that was the password, why is Kishibe being so difficult and weird all of the sudden?" "I have no idea. Rie used to take good care of me for a long time, but it wasn't until recently that she became all cunning and nasty… it may have been how she felt before she changed and that was before the password needed to be updated. So it could just be a reflection of how she used to feel at the time." Yuuko said.

"Nonetheless, Kamishiro is obviously planning something big, even though we can't identify what it is right now. Still, connecting Earth and the Digital World could be dangerous to both worlds, so it may be best to sabotage this plan of theirs…" Kyoko said. "I think you're right. I suppose that's a matter for another day though…" Arata said. He then turned to me and said: "Are you up for that, Simon?" "Of course!" I said. I then turned to Yuuko and said: "How about you, Yuuko?"

"…We'll see." Yuuko said back. "Huh?" Arata said. "…I'm not sure if I can provide any more help, as of now…" Yuuko said. But then she went on: "However, I'm glad I had the chance to discover all of this. Thank you all, you've been very reliable…" she then stood up to leave and exited the agency. Arata and I turned to each other and I nodded before I followed Yuuko outside. I soon found her standing by a drinking fountain, looking very troubled…

"Yuuko!" I said. She then looked up and said: "…Simon?" I then approached her and said: "Kishibe blackmailed you, didn't she?" Yuuko then looked down before she said: "You saw right through me, huh…? Yes, that's exactly what she did. She threatened to let my brother die if I tried to access confidential data at Kamishiro again." I then was confused and said: "Your brother?" Yuuko nodded as she said: "Yes… he's the only family I have left now. The problem is that he has EDEN Syndrome… he's under the care of Central Hospital, but… it's at Rie's request… so she could just as easily revoke the care and let him disappear someday for all she would care…"

I felt disheartened when I heard this… so Yuuko had been alone all of these years? That's horrible… and to think that this brave girl was being threatened just because she was trying to do the right thing… it wasn't right… "That is so despicable… Yuuko, I…" I said as I walked up and put my hand on her shoulder and she immediately looked up as I said: "I'm so sorry. I didn't understand how much hardship you've had to endure… and I'm impressed at how strong you are in turn—" and then Yuuko said: "Strong?" and I said: "Absolutely! You've had to overcome so many trials on your own and endure times—both good and bad—more or less by yourself. That is remarkable that you've lived for so long like that and turned out to be such a great person. I doubt I could have done that. But we're here for you. Don't forget that, okay?"

Yuuko then smiled at me and said: "…You know just how to reach out to your friends, don't you Simon?" She them smiled wider and said: "Thank you. My doubts have cleared. I'm going to do what my brother would want me to do…" "Yuuko?" I asked. But she walked off looking so happy, I wasn't inclined to say anything else. I smiled until I suddenly heard Arata's voice from outside… he was saying: "Gaaah! Oh God… m-my throat! Oh no, is… is this how it all ends?" and then I heard a thudding sound…

I immediately ran back into the agency and saw Arata on the floor… and a coffee cup nearby him. Kyoko was standing off in the distance looking surprised. "A new special blend?" I asked. "Yes, but… I don't know what happened… I put so many wonderful ingredients in there… I don't know _how_ that caused him to pass out… he must have selective taste buds." Kyoko said. I had the hardest time not laughing as I picked up Arata's coffee cup and took it back to the side room.


	31. Keisuke: Amateur heroism

Keisuke Chapter 16—Amateur heroism—

After I logged out, I went looking for a cubicle, although on my way, I saw something surprising: I saw Yuri come walking by back here! I then smiled and said: "Oh hey, Yuri!" and Yuri smiled back and said: "Oh Keisuke!" and she came up to me. She certainly looked happy today… "It's good to see you. You're sure far from the reception desk." I said back. Yuri then smiled and said: "Well haven't you heard the news?"

"Huh?" I said. Yuri then giggled before she went on: "I was finally promoted! I'm not a receptionist anymore—I'm on staff as a full-time hacker in Hudie now!" I smiled and said: "Oh that's great! Congratulations, Yuri! I'm happy for you." "Thank you. I suppose I should thank you—after all, if it weren't for you and Chitose, I would've quit Hudie and never known this opportunity." Yuri said.

"Hey, no problem! Do your best for the team, then!" I said. "I will, thanks! I'm excited to take more cases! Maybe I'll even see you on one, Keisuke!" Yuri said. We both smiled and then Yuri said: "Speaking of which, I'd better get back to looking for them! I'll see you out there!" "Sure thing, Yuri." I said.

She then went down the hall and I walked off, feeling content. As I kept going though, soon I heard a: "Keisuke…" and I turned my head to see Chitose. "Good morning, Chitose! What is it?" I asked. "I had something I wanted to talk to you about… can we go to Galacta Park in EDEN?" Chitose asked. I was puzzled, but I said: "Sure…"

We then logged into EDEN and went to Galacta Park in Kowloon level 1. When we arrived, Chitose looked around and said: "Thank you for coming. I didn't mean to drag you out of your way like this…" "Don't worry about it. So what is it? Is it about Yuri?" I asked. "No, although I'm not entirely happy about that either…" Chitose said. "Huh?" I asked. "Now that she's switched to being a hacker, she's under my supervision. That means that if I were to try dating Yuri now, it would be a conflict of interest and we'd both be fired. So I'm going to have to give up on that, unfortunately…" Chitose said.

"Don't let it get you down, Chitose. You know what they say: there are plenty of fish in the sea." I said. Chitose grinned back and said: "Thanks for encouraging me, Keisuke. But enough of that. That's not what I brought you here for. I was actually going to talk to you about Ryuji." "HUH? What about him?" I asked. "I've actually discovered some important things about what he's been up to." Chitose said. When I heard this, I frowned and said: "What do you mean 'what he's been up to'? And how did you discover this?"

"Well I thought Ryuji had been acting funny lately, and he hasn't been talking to me as much. So I was worried and…" Chitose began before he went on: "The truth is… I planted spyware on Ryuji." "You… you did what?" I asked. Chitose then frowned and said: "Oh don't overreact like that! I only did it because I was worried about him… I mean, don't you think he's been acting strange lately?" "Yeah… a little bit." I said back. "I'm glad you think so too. Well anyway, here's what I found: You know how in the recent announcement by Kishibe that a group of lower level underlings at Kamishiro illicitly bought out the Nile Corporation?" Chitose asked. "Yeah. What about it?" I asked.

"That was a manufactured lie… and it was Ryuji who made it up." Chitose said. "WHAAAAT?!" I said. Chitose then put his hand behind his head as he said: "Yeah, I couldn't believe it either… well, do you remember when he went into the cyber crimes investigation server, Keisuke?" "Yes. Come to think of it… I talked to Yuuko recently and she said that she hadn't asked us to even do that case…" I said.

"That's right. Ryuji made up that it was Zaxon who wanted us to do that so he could get us to help him. What he really did was sneak up to the heart of the server out of his own initiative, delete the saved data in the server and replace it with a similar-looking file he made up to destroy the evidence against Kamishiro enterprises, all while covering his tracks…" Chitose said. "Why…? Why would he do something like that?!" I asked.

Chitose looked down as he said: "He gets paid for his dirty work from Kamishiro… they're blackmailing him. They waive the otherwise-astronomical cost of Erika's treatments in exchange for his compliance…" "That's… that's so horrible…" I said. "Exactly…" Chitose said. "We can't let him be left in shackles like this. Could we pool our money together or—" I began, but then Chitose said: "It's no use… I suggested similar possibilities, but he wouldn't give an inch… he's not willing to cut ties with Kishibe…"

"So Chitose… do you have a plan for what to do?" I asked. "Not yet… but I think I need to do something…" Chitose said. "Chitose?" I said. "I don't want to see my friend in chains… I need to look into it some more." Chitose said. He then turned to me and said: "Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I'm sorry if I overloaded you." "No. I appreciate it, because it cleared up some questions I was left with and alleviated some of my concerns." I said. Chitose then smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke. That's all I had for you. Now let's go back." I nodded and went back to Hudie.

When we got back, I continued looking for an open cubicle. That was certainly a lot to take in from Chitose, but that made me feel better about shifting my focus back to my work too. I soon found one and sat down before I logged in and checked the BBS. I saw there was a case… but it was from Erika! I checked it and Erika said that there were two cases that had come in relating to the Digimarket with fundamentally opposed interests and that she wanted to talk about them, due to their complexity and the seriousness of the case…

This sounded so vague, but I had to admit I was interested. That's why I took the case and went to her office. I knocked on the door and soon I heard Erika say: "Come in." and I entered. She then turned around and she said: "Ah, Keisuke. It looks like you took the Digimarket case." "That's right. You said you wanted to talk to me about them? I remember reading that in the posting." I said.

Erika nodded and said: "I'll get straight to the point: two cases were submitted at the same time and they both concern the Digimarket. Although one is really two cases in one, since it has an extra errand tacked on…" and then I said: "Hmm?" Erika then continued: "Since it's the one of the two with more conditions, I'll get it out of the way first. It was from a proponent of the Digimarket named Sosuke. He's worried about a group of tamers—although I suppose they're really more of a mob than a group—because they have threatened to destroy the Digimarket." "Really? Wow…" I said.

"Yup. Even in hacker territory, you don't see this kind of mob mentality often. But that's only half of his case. The other half is that he wants us to find his missing Lopmon. He says it's been missing for a while now. If we agree to this case, we'll have to both defend the Digimarket _and_ find his missing Lopmon." Erika said. "Okay, so that's the first client… what about the other one? They're an enemy of the Digimarket, I'm assuming?" I asked. "Exactly. His name is Kotaro and he's really concerned about how the Digimon in the Digimarket are treated… he says it's inexcusable how such wonderful creatures are treated poorly, then sold like commercial objects without getting any care or respect any step of the way. He wants us to join in with the mob of hackers I previously referenced and destroy the Digimarket." Erika said.

"Two sides with diametrically opposed interests… so there's no way we can complete both…" I said. "Right. You'll have to pick one case to solve. You can't possibly finish them both; there's no common ground between the two sides." Erika said. There was then a pause before Erika went on: "Personally, I think it would be best if you heard them both out—just don't express fondness for one side or the other until the time is right. No matter what side you pick in the end, it shouldn't rock the boat too much, so don't worry, Keisuke." I smiled and said: "Thanks, Erika. Alright, I think I'll take your suggestion then. See you when I get back."

I then left and decided to visit Sosuke first. I checked the information on the case Erika posted, and she said Sosuke usually was at the Digimarket while Kotaro was in the EDEN free area, so I went to the Digimarket first. When I arrived, I asked around until I eventually found him. When I introduced myself and explained that I wanted to hear his side of the story, he said: "So you're hearing both sides out, eh… Well I can't really say I blame you for that. I'm assuming you've already gone to our opponents first?" I then shook my head and Sosuke said: "Really? So you came to us first? Well no problem! I'll be glad to make our case first then. You see, we didn't want to make a standoff, but our opponents were pushing us back into a corner, so we didn't have much choice. They say that we mistreat Digimon and act like we're torturers, but all we're doing is supplying people with Digimon. We are creating opportunities for people and Digimon to connect and explore their dreams—especially inexperienced hackers who don't know how to digiconvert, or who have trouble doing so. We are making things possible, rather than complaining, like our opponents."

"Hmm… but that wasn't all, was it?" I asked. "What?" Sosuke asked. "You submitted a request that was two cases in one, right? So what about the other one? Didn't you want me to find a Digimon you lost?" I asked. Sosuke then smiled and said: "A-ha. You pay attention to detail, I see. Yes, I wanted you to help find my Lopmon. The last time I was with her, we were on Kowloon level 3. I was shocked when I turned around and saw she was gone… I don't think she would have left that part of Kowloon, so if you could find her, I would appreciate it." "Even so, finding one Digimon in Kowloon is a pretty daunting task… do you have anything else for me to go on? Did she have any unique quirks?" I asked. "Hmm… well, she used to call me 'master' all the time… that's one thing you could ask about." Sosuke said.

I was shocked when I heard this. It seemed my facial expression revealed this too, because Sosuke said: "What? What is it?" and I recovered and said: "…Nothing." Before I went on: "Alright, I'm going to hear the other side out now. Thank you for your time, Sosuke." "No problem. I hope I can count on your support!" Sosuke said.

I then walked off with my mind racing… a Digimon who had always called him 'master'… BlackGatomon had always called me that ever since I found her… in Kowloon. And now that I thought about it, she was a Lopmon when I had met her… once I hear Kotaro out, I'm going to have to talk to her about this…

I then proceeded to the EDEN free area and I asked around before I eventually found him. When I approached him and explained I had been looking for him, he said: "So are you a member of Hudie?" and I said: "Yes I am. My name is Keisuke. I came to listen to your side of the story about the fate of the Digimarket." Kotaro's face then adopted a stern expression before he said: "There's even a shadow of a doubt in your mind that these people need to go…?! Let me tell you, you don't want to support a group of Digimon abusers like them. They lock Digimon up in tiny cages! They don't feed the Digimon enough to satisfy their hunger! And worst of all, they kill Digimon by deleting them outright if they run out of storage space! It's disgusting no matter how you look at it! That's why we want to save the poor Digimon! Plus, there's Hudie's reputation at stake—after all, the Digimarket can't operate legally. That's why it's on the dark web. If you throw your support behind them, you'll be documented as helping criminals."

Kotaro then went on: "So there's no good reason to support them. That's why you should come help us! The attack on the Digimarket is going to be at noon tomorrow. You should join in!" "Don't worry—I'll be there." I said. Kotaro shook his head before he said: "That's some answer… you're not even specifying who you're going to help. Still, we would welcome you anytime." And then he walked off…

Now that I had heard him out, I immediately left the Digimarket and went to the Digilab. I greeted Mirei when I arrived and then went to the farm island. I greeted my Digimon there, then I went off to a part of the island where no one was around and called out BlackGatomon. When she appeared, I said: "Hi BlackGatomon." "Good morning, master!" she said. She then looked around and said: "Oh? It's just us here?" "Yes. I had something I wanted to ask you." I said back. "Okay… what is it?" BlackGatomon asked.

"BlackGatomon… did you ever have a tamer before me?" I asked. She looked very nervous before she shut her eyes and said: "Yes, master…" as she nodded. "Who was it? What were they like?" I asked. "His name was… Sosuke. He didn't pay much attention to me or treat me like I was special when I was with him, so I ran away one day when we were in Kowloon… I was hoping to escape and start a new life… but then I met you master, and… things got so much better. I like having you for a tamer so much more than Sosuke." BlackGatomon said.

I then looked down. So it was true… my BlackGatomon was Sosuke's lost Digimon… but more than that… hearing that he had been a lousy tamer to her was what made me feel so sad. "That's terrible… I'm sorry, BlackGatomon." I said. "Don't worry, master—things are better now. But I'm sorry too… after all, I lied to you about being a stray." BlackGatomon said. I then knelt down and hugged her as I said: "That's not important! I'm just so happy you're my Digimon. And that opportunity may not have existed if you hadn't done that, so your instincts were right on the money. It was a good thing you did too—I'm glad we met, BlackGatomon." I then heard her say: "Me too, master… I want keep being your Digimon." I smiled and hugged her again before I spent a little more time with her and then I called her back and left.

It was a funny thing—when I was talking to BlackGatomon, I had felt sad, but now I felt full of energy. My mind was made up now about what I was going to do tomorrow. The ethical issue of Digimon being mistreated alone was enough to make me want to support Kotaro, but I was absolutely _NOT_ going to give BlackGatomon back to Sosuke—that was something I would never even consider and that settled the issue alone. I'll do everything in my power to crush the Digimarket for the Digimon, Kotaro and… for BlackGatomon too.

The next day, I logged into the Digimarket at noon and saw Kotaro and his tamers staring down Sosuke's side, which also had an equal number of tamers… I called out Hisyaryumon, Blanc and BlackGatomon and stepped forward and it seemed they noticed me, because Sosuke looked up (while Kotaro turned around) and Sosuke said: "Ah! I see you've arrived!"

We stepped forward and Kotaro said: "So? The time has come for you to take a side. Who's it going to be?" I then stood by Kotaro's side and Kotaro smiled and said: "Alright! I knew you'd make the right choice!" Sosuke then looked down a little and then said: "Tch… so he's just like them…" "I can't back a business that mistreats Digimon. But more so than that, I could never…" I began and I felt my anger welling up as Sosuke looked up and said: "Never… what?" "…Support you wanting to take that poor Lopmon!" I said.

"Why? What's wrong with me wanting my Digimon back after we got separated?" Sosuke asked. "She didn't leave you because you 'got separated'… she left you because you were a lousy tamer! Because of the neglect she had to endure!" I said. "What…? What would you know about how I raised her…?" Sosuke said. He then eyed BlackGatomon (and she looked nervous) as he said: "Come to think of it… BlackGatomon can digivolve from Lopmon…" and he started walking towards her as I immediately stood in between him and BlackGatomon and said: "Stay the hell away from my Digimon!" Sosuke immediately stopped and said: "What was that…?" "That was a warning. I only yelled at you this time, but if you lay a finger on her, I'll beat you black and blue!" I said.

Sosuke then backed up and said: "Tch… so you take my Digimon and withhold her from me… you've got a lot of nerve." "A Digimon is only a person's as long as they accept that person as their partner. Given that she ran away from you, I'd say the lady's spoken, wouldn't you say?" I asked. I heard some of Kotaro's tamers say: "Hear hear!" after I said this and Sosuke said: "Hmph…"

"Well now that we know where everyone stands, there's nothing left to say! This is for the Digimon—attack everyone!" Kotaro said. We all then charged on in and everyone went to a tamer to battle—and I immediately went to Sosuke. I then punched my fist into my other palm and said: "Show me what you've got, punk."

Sosuke then called out a Devimon, a Digimon that was clearly a Coredramon Digimon, like Wingdramon used to be (the only difference was that it was colored green instead of blue) and a Digimon that was very humanoid, even shaped like a human, only covered in flames. It walked on two legs and had two arms. It looked 5'8 tall. I then felt my phone vibrate and I took it out. It said: "Left to right: Devimon scan data: 30%, GreenCoredramon scan data: 15%, Meramon scan data: 15%."

I then let Hisyaryumon, Blanc and BlackGatomon step forward and said: "Hisyaryumon give yourself a boost! Attack charge! Blanc, hit Devimon with divine pierce!" Hisyaryumon then said: "Attack charge!" and cast a spell on himself that boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks while Blanc said: "Divine pierce!" and she held up her trident and it became electrically charged before she pointed it at Devimon and fired a beam of electricity at him—and he took it pretty hard too! Sosuke then said: "Devimon, get Hisyaryumon, quick! Death claw! Meramon, boost your strength! Attack charge!" and Devimon said: "Death claw!" and he flew up to Hisyaryumon and grabbed him (and purple energy flowed from Hisyaryumon into Devimon) before Devimon pushed Hisyaryumon away and flew back. Meramon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his strength with non-magic attacks. GreenCoredramon then said: "Comet hammer 2!" and he made rocks come falling down from above on BlackGatomon! BlackGatomon then recovered and she said: "Nightmare 2!" and she made dark purple energy form around Meramon's head before it burst and knocked him down!

I then said: "Hisyaryumon, keep going! Attack charge!" and Hisyaryumon said: "Attack charge!" and boosted himself again. Sosuke then grinned and said: "Heh-heh… it's too bad all that boosting is going to be for nothing. GreenCoredramon, hit Hisyaryumon with character reversal!" and GreenCoredramon said: "Character reversal!" and flew at Hisyaryumon, but when Blanc saw this, she said: "Protect wave!" and made yellow barriers appear in front of her, Hisyaryumon and BlackGatomon. By now, GreenCoredramon had arrived and he swiped at Hisyaryumon with his claw, which Hisyaryumon basically shrugged off. He then said: "Devimon, follow through! Use hell crusher 2!" and Devimon said: "Hell crusher 2!" and made wisps of darkness spin around my Digimon, which they all had an easy time recovering from.

When Sosuke saw this, he looked surprised and said: "Wha—! No! How did GreenCoredramon fail at bugging Hisyaryumon?!" Blanc then giggled and said: "You really should pay more attention to what other Digimon are doing!" Bugging… that's a status condition that makes a Digimon's natural strengths and weaknesses switch with each other… Blanc was very helpful to stop that! Sosuke frowned at her and I said: "Alright! Now BlackGatomon, use power energy 2 on Meramon!" and BlackGatomon said: "Power energy 2!" and made gray energy envelop Meramon and explode! Meramon stood after the attack and Sosuke said: "Argh… Meramon, use flaming fist on that pesky nun!" and Meramon said: "Flaming fist!" and his fists flared up with fire before he ran at Blanc and started pummeling her! She managed to recover as he went back, though.

All the same, Blanc looked weakened, so I said: "Great work, Blanc!" and I called her back and sent in BlueMetalGreymon. Sosuke then said: "Devimon, get Hisyaryumon! Death claw! Meramon, join in with flaming fist! GreenCoredramon, use green flare breath on BlueMetalGreymon!" and then Devimon and Meramon ganged up on Hisyaryumon—and he was starting to look tired from all the hits he was taking. GreenCoredramon then said: "Green flare breath!" and spat up green flames at BlueMetalGreymon, which he took harder than I had guessed. But then I said: "Now it's our turn! Hisyaryumon, squish GreenCoredramon with a legendary dragon blade! BlackGatomon, hit Meramon with a nightmare 2! BlueMetalGreymon, use wolkenapalm 3 on him too!" and then Hisyaryumon said: "Legendary dragon blade!" and he flew up into the air and leaned backward before he turned into a giant sword and slammed down on GreenCoredramon, hard! Hisyaryumon then returned to normal and when the attack ended, GreenCoredramon was down already! "Wha—finished off in one blow?!" Sosuke said. "Never underestimate a dragon of my strength!" Hisyaryumon said back. "It's not just him either—watch!" I said as BlackGatomon made more dark purple energy form around Meramon and it exploded before BlueMetalGreymon said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and made a fiery explosion engulf Meramon—and he was down after that!

"Argh… I need that Hisyaryumon gone now! Devimon, use death claw!" Sosuke said as Devimon flew up to Hisyaryumon and attacked him again before he pushed Hisyaryumon away and he flew back… and that was it for Hisyaryumon. He was down. "Argh… how embarrassing…" Hisyaryumon said. "Don't feel that way, Hisyaryumon. You defeated a Digimon in perfect health in a single blow—those are bragging rights not just anyone can claim." I said back. Hisyaryumon grinned and said: "Thanks, Keisuke. Keep on going! I know you all can do this!"

I then called him back and decided to gamble on sending Blanc in again. I then said: "Blanc, heal yourself! BlackGatomon and BlueMetalGreymon, attack Devimon! Use lightning paw and wolkenapalm 3!" and Blanc said: "Heal!" and cast a spell on herself that restored her health! BlueMetalGreymon then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and made another fiery explosion engulf Devimon. BlackGatomon then said: "Lightning paw!" and swiped at Devimon with her claws. Devimon was starting to look tired now and Sosuke then said: "Devimon, get the nun! Death claw!" and Devimon said: "Death claw!" and flew up to Blanc and attacked her before throwing her down and flying back.

He obviously wasn't going to let Blanc recover so easily… but at the same time, his Devimon looked really worn down! At that moment, I decided to take a gamble on trying to knock him out now. I said: "Blanc, use divine pierce! BlueMetalGreymon, hit him with wolkenapalm 3! BlackGatomon, use lightning paw!" and Blanc said: "Divine pierce!" and blasted Devimon with electricity again. BlueMetalGreymon then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused another fiery explosion to occur where Devimon was and he just barely got up from it… Finally, BlackGatomon said: "Lightning paw!" and she swiped at him with her claws… and that was all he could take! Devimon was done after that!

Sosuke then called him back and said: "Dang… I lost. That's not a good sign for the Digimarket…" but I ignored him and went off to check on the situation. Not all of the battles had wrapped up yet, but that was no problem—I simply went and defeated other tamers who were supporting the Digimarket. It didn't take long before our side had defeated them all!

When that happened, Kotaro, his tamers and I all cheered. Kotaro then said: "We won!" and Sosuke said: "Ugh, we can't hold our position! Let's get out of here!" and he and his tamers all dispersed.

Kotaro then turned to us and said: "Now's our chance! Get in there and destroy the cages and their equipment! Free every last Digimon!" We all then ran in and wrecked everything! I even had my Digimon lend a hand (Crescemon especially seemed to like destroying the Digimarket as she gleefully smashed everything up… no doubt because she had been captured and sold off here herself) and we kept going until all the Digimon were free and the market had been reduced to ruins!

After that, some of Kotaro's tamers helped to lead the Digimon into Kowloon as Kotaro himself stood back and said: "We did it! This is a great day for the Digimon—now they can roam cyberspace and live free, without being captured or sold off!" "It certainly is! Now the Digimon don't have to be afraid anymore and can live as they please! That's something to be celebrated!" I said. I then turned to Kotaro and said: "Thanks for giving me the chance to help out here, Kotaro. It was a lot of fun!" He smiled back and said: "I should be thanking you for backing us up! You did a great job and were a real champion of the Digimon. That was really insightful what you said too… 'a Digimon is only a person's as long as they accept that person as their partner', was it? That was a good point. And between that and how strong you and your Digimon were, I'd say we have a hero in the making!"

I smiled when I heard this. Even though Kotaro was likely just being nice, it made me feel great to hear someone regarded me as even a hero in the making. "Thank you, Kotaro, but I still have a ways to go. Even so, I will keep working until that day when I become a hero." I said. Kotaro chuckled and said: "You're modest too, I see. Well don't worry, I know you will—you're off to a good start." BlackGatomon then came forward and said: "I know you will too, master! That's how you've always been." I smiled warmly when I heard this and said: "Thank you, BlackGatomon." She nodded and said: "Of course! And you handled yourself so well, master! Although I couldn't help but notice you were even more worked up about how Sosuke treated me than the Digimon in the Digimarket…" and I said: "Well of course! You're my Digimon and that entitles you to a certain level of priority."

BlackGatomon smiled and said: "Thank you. That's very kind of you, master. But what I really want to thank you for is that you didn't return me to Sosuke—" and then I said: "Of course not! I would never give you up to someone like him! You're too important to give away to a bozo like him and I don't ever want you to think about or worry about that again, you hear me?"

BlackGatomon then smiled warmly and said: "Master…" and then there was suddenly a flash of light! When I could see again, there was another Digimon standing where BlackGatomon was! She was humanoid and walked on two legs and wore black clothing over her right leg, hips, torso and arms. She also wore a black bandana-like mask over her head going from the top of her head to a little beneath her nose. Her left leg and face were a very pale blue color and her left arm was almost twice the size of her right arm and her arms had chains around them, along with very long and sharp red nails on her right arm. She had two black wings on her back, a black wisp-like creature growing out of her left shoulder and white hair that went down a little beneath her waist. She looked 5'10 tall.

I was dumbfounded when I saw this… finally, I said: "Did you just digivolve?" the Digimon then said: "Oh? It looks like I did…" I was so surprised… I didn't know a tamer's Digimon could digivolve on their own, without being prompted to! "Wh-what kind of digivolution is this? A Digimon digivolving on her own without being prompted to by her tamer… is that even possible?" I asked. "Are you disappointed, master?" my Digimon asked. I then saw my mistake and walked up to her as I said: "No, of course not! Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad to see you did. I was just surprised and caught off-guard by how you did, but I shouldn't have let that get in the way of my excitement. I'm sorry." My Digimon then smiled and said: "You don't have to apologize, master!" I grinned back and said: "Thanks…" but then I felt embarrassed as I said: "Um…" and then I went on: "Well, it's great that you digivolved, but one problem with this method of digivolution is that I didn't get a chance to see your name in advance, as much as I hate to admit not knowing it…"

My Digimon then laughed and she said: "It's LadyDevimon." I smiled and said: "Alright then—LadyDevimon. We should work on digivolving you again though—that 'devi' in your name doesn't suit you at all." Then we laughed together and LadyDevimon said: "I'm glad you feel that way, master. I'm so happy I digivolved though—after the way that you heroically stood before me and protected me from Sosuke, now I can be the one to protect you from anything—" "You mean like you've been doing?" I said.

We laughed together again and then LadyDevimon said: "You don't know what it means to a Digimon when their tamer is willing to fight for them." She then went on: "Well then… 'a Digimon is only a person's as long as they accept that person as their partner', is that what you said? Well I can assure you master, that after all you've done, I will always be your Digimon… no matter what." I smiled and said: "I'm glad you feel that way."

I then heard Kotaro say: "You two make an awesome team." We then turned to him and he then went on: "I'll be sure to send you your reward, complete with a bonus. It's only right after all you've done for us and the Digimon." "Are you sure, Kotaro?" I asked. "Give it to him. He deserves it." LadyDevimon said. Kotaro then grinned and said: "I agree. Don't worry—I will! Now let's get out of this dump—we don't need to stick around here anymore." We all nodded and left.

I then logged out and decided to go to the Digilab to heal my Digimon. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei, but then she said: "Oh Keisuke, I'm glad you came. Do you have a moment?" "Yes I do. What is it?" I asked. "I've finished a new update to increase the memory in a phone again. Since you've been a real champion of the Digimon lately, I'd like you to have it." Mirei said. "Oh really? That's great!" I said.

Mirei then E-mailed me the update (as she had last time) and I opened it and installed it, and it increased the memory in my phone again! "Alright! Looks like the installation was a success! Thanks, Mirei!" I said. She smiled and said: "Anytime. Now while it can fluctuate, the general rule of thumb is that you can keep nine Digimon in your phone now. So go on and do your best for them!" "I will, thanks!" I said back.

I then healed my Digimon and spent the rest of the day training them, eventually leaving Hudie and feeling very satisfied. It had been a day full of discoveries, fun and heartwarming moments. I was really glad I had taken that case.


	32. Simon: Coming together

Simon Chapter 16—Coming together—

The next day I entered the agency and Kyoko looked up as I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Are any new cases in today?" "Not today, no. That being said, you'll have some free time on your hands, so use it well!" Kyoko replied. "Alright! I'll do just that! Let me know if any come in, then!" I said. "Of course. Just don't be late if one does come in." Kyoko said. "Of course not! I've got a perfect record, remember?" I said.

Kyoko and I then laughed together before I left the agency. As I walked back out into the hallway, I thought on what to do next. Come to think of it… I hadn't been to the hall of heroes in a while. I decided to log in and see if anyone was there… and it was empty. I guess that can be expected when we have so few members, but even so, I decided to call Nokia to check what the status of the group was. I took out my phone and called her before I heard Nokia say: "Hello?" and I replied: "Hi Nokia. It's Simon." "Oh hi, Simon! It's been a little while. How are you doing?" Nokia asked. "Great! What about you?" I asked. "I'm doing fine! I've been busy with friends and my Digimon lately. So what were you calling about?" Nokia asked.

"I wanted to check on how things were going with our members—" I began and then Nokia said: "A-ha! I'm glad you care about everyone so much. Well don't worry, I've been looking out for them while you were away! We were going to go on an outing in Kowloon in 3 hours. Can you come along?" "Yup. I'm off the hook for now, so that sounds great!" I said. "Awesome! See you then, Simon!" Nokia said.

I then trained my Digimon for a while and when 2 hours and 40 minutes had passed, I called them back, left and logged into the hall of heroes. It looked like I was the first here, too… although it wasn't too much longer before Nokia logged in and when she saw me, she said: "Ah, I see you made it!" and she approached me and said: "Looks like you're the first one here, too. Just what I'd expect from the leader!" and we laughed together. It wasn't that much longer before Yasu, Haruka, Daisuke, Takashi, Megumi and Yasanori showed up too! When we were all here, Daisuke said: "Ah, looks like you're back, Simon. Good to see you. It's been a while." I smiled and said: "Thanks, Daisuke. Yeah, it's been busy lately, but I'm as excited as ever for our adventure in Kowloon today!" "Yup! Everyone's pumped to head out into Kowloon as a team!" Yasanori said. "That's right! I'm excited to get going too—it's been a while since I've gone out into Kowloon as a team." Megumi said. "Heh-heh! Be patient, dear heroes—we're on our way! Now let's use this as an opportunity to practice our coordination as a team in the field!" Nokia said. The rest of us all said: "YEAH!" and we headed out into Kowloon.

When we arrived, we had fun taking turns fighting Digimon battles against wild Digimon, talking to each other along the way and keeping up with each other. Soon though, we came across a guy with an Ankylomon… he wore an odd blue jacket with a butterfly logo on the back over a pale blue shirt with a collar and had black pants. He had black shoes and short blonde hair. He looked 5'10 tall. He was petting his Ankylomon and looked down…

Nokia and I exchanged glances before we approached him and Nokia said: "What's wrong? You look upset…" the guy and his Ankylomon looked up and he said: "Eh? Who are you…? Tamers?" "That's right. We're the Heroes' Network, a recently formed team. We're pleased to meet you!" I said. The guy then grinned and said: "Heh. That's nice. It's rare to see a team of hackers that are so well-mannered." He then went on: "Oh yeah, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name's Chitose." I then walked up to him and shook his hand as I said: "It's a pleasure Chitose. My name's Simon, and this is Nokia…" I said as I pointed to her and then did the same for each team member in turn.

When I was finished, Chitose grinned and said: "So you all know each other's names… that's really nice. I suppose it's only natural since you're such a small team right now, though." "Maybe, but one day we'll be a huge, famous team! Don't forget it!" Nokia said. Chitose grinned and said: "Don't worry—I won't." "So is there anything we can help with, Chitose?" I asked. Eventually, he said: "No, that's okay. I want to sort it out on my own." "Ah well. Well, we'll be happy to help out if you need it!" Nokia said. Chitose smiled and said: "Thanks."

Nokia then turned to us and said: "Well alright then, Heroes' Network! Let's move out!" And we all started to proceed before we heard Chitose say: "Um…" and we turned around to face him. He then said: "Can I take a walk with you guys?" I think it would help clear my head." "Of course! The more the merrier!" Nokia said. Chitose smiled and said: "Thanks."

He then joined us and we continued on our outing. We kept enjoying ourselves (and Chitose was warming up to our group too) … until we heard a voice say: "Ah! Stop!" in the distance! Nokia and I turned to each other before we ran off in the direction of the voice. We ran off (with everyone else following) until we came up on two guys chasing some young Digimon! Nokia then yelled at them: "HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" and they turned around before one of them said: "Eh? Isn't it obvious? We're trying to catch them!" "Why would you need to resort to chasing Digimon? Aren't you strong enough to scan them the way everyone else does?" Takashi asked. One of the tamers looked annoyed before he said: "Quiet you…!" and then the Digimon started to escape!

Yasu then said: "He has every right to say that—you have a perfectly effective way to create new Digimon when you need them, so you don't have a good excuse to try and capture a Digimon." "Exactly! Don't be such brutes!" Haruka said. One of the tamers then looked over his shoulder and then looked back at us before he suddenly looked over again and said: "Argh! They got away…!" "WHAT?" the other guy said. He then turned to us and said: "Thanks a lot! Who are you bleeding hearts, anyway?!"

"We don't tolerate idiots picking on innocent Digimon! We're the Heroes' Network and we're champions of people and Digimon in cyberspace! Now let's go—it's time for us to teach you a lesson!" Nokia said. "Grr! First you meddle in our affairs and then you pick a fight with us?! You have a lot of nerve!" One of the guys said. "Well fine! A fight's just fine with us…!" the other guy said and then we heard a boy's voice say: "Don't be foolish boys—we should be working as a team, remember?"

And then we turned around and saw a teenage boy with a team of four people behind him. "And you are…?" I asked before the teenage boy said: "You didn't think you could just pick on our members freely, did you? We're New Moon, and if you intend to pick a fight with us, we'll 'outshine' you for sure!" "A group battle then?! Well fine! It's time we reduced you all to dust!" I said. The teenage boy then said: "We'll see about that." He then turned to his members and said: "I've got the leaders. You all handle someone else." And then the members each went to fight one of our members one-on-one. The teenage boy then approached Nokia and me and said: "Be glad, punks—you get to be reduced to ashes by _me_ , the leader!" "We'll see about that! Bring it!" Nokia said.

I then called out Zephyr, Sabrina and Larry while Nokia called out her Digimon… but they were digivolved now! One was a Digimon that walked on two legs. It had orange skin and yellow armor over its massive arms (that ended with three long, sharp claws) which also had two outspread shield-halves on its back, a yellow-and-gray tasset, gray shin guards with stripes up the center and gray armor over its torso and face (the face armor also had a tusk over the nose and two horns on the side of its head and the torso armor had three red, x-shaped wires on them). It had red hair on the back of its head too and huge feet with long toe nails. It looked 7 feet tall.

The other was a giant wolf Digimon that walked on four legs. It was entirely covered in dark blue metal (except for its white-colored paws) and had metallic wings on its back. It looked 5'2 tall. When I saw this, I said: "WHOA! Nokia, you _have_ been keeping busy!" Nokia then grinned and said: "Heh-heh-heh! That's right! They're mega Digimon now!" The humanoid Digimon with orange skin said: "Long time no see, Simon! I'm WarGreymon! I used to be Greymon." And the wolf Digimon said: "Yeah, it's been a little while! I'm MetalGarurumon. I'm sure you can see the resemblance to the Garurumon I used to be." I smiled and nodded before I turned back to the leader of New Moon and Nokia said: "Well? Are you scared yet?" and then the leader of New Moon said: "…No, not really."

And he called out three Digimon. One looked almost exactly like Nokia's WarGreymon, only it had black skin, dark yellow hair and black and gray armor and another looked almost exactly like Nokia's MetalGarurumon, only it was colored black and had red eyes, as well as a red nose. The last Digimon was a humanoid Digimon that walked on two pale pink legs with yellow crescent moons on them and wore silver-and-black boots that went up to its shins. It wore a blue top, silver-and-black hip armor, silver gauntlets, black shoulder pads with silver spikes, black armor over its forehead and had two coronets on its head with pink ribbons streaming behind them that went down to its waist. It held a dual-edged scythe, had two pink ears and looked 5'11 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I looked at it as it said: "Left to right: BlackWarGreymon scan data: 5%, BlackMetalGarurumon scan data: 5%, Crescemon scan data: 10%." It said BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon were virus Digimon, while Crescemon was a data Digimon. I then said: "Sabrina and Larry, attack Crescemon! Use Talisman of light and Oblivion bird!" and Sabrina said: "Talisman of light!" and she conjured a giant paint brush which she used to draw a Japanese character and then she swung it at the character, sending it flying at Crescemon and it hit her! Larry followed up by saying: "Oblivion bird!" and he hunched forward and fired the missile on his spine at Crescemon—and it looked like it did a good job of doing damage!

The New Moon leader then said: "Crescemon, send that Peckmon back to the nest! Hydro water 3! BlackWarGreymon, give them a taste of your dark terra force! BlackMetalGarurumon, use Thunder fall 3!" and Crescemon said: "Hydro water 3!" and she sprayed Zephyr with a forceful stream of water, which he took really hard! It looked like this guy's Digimon really were well-trained… BlackWarGreymon then leapt into the air and conjured a crimson-colored sphere between his hands which grew to enormous proportions and then he said: "Dark terra force!" and threw it at our Digimon. It hit them all (and Sabrina and MetalGarurumon took it the hardest) before BlackMetalGarurumon said: "Thunder fall 3!" and made thunderbolts come crashing down on all our Digimon! Zephyr then said: "Kunai wing!" and he leapt up and threw three kunai from his wings at BlackWarGreymon. Even though BlackWarGreymon was disadvantaged against Zephyr, he still didn't take the attack too hard…

Nokia then said: "WarGreymon, hit BlackWarGreymon with your great tornado! MetalGarurumon, use ice wolf claw!" and WarGreymon said: "Great tornado!" as he positioned his claws in front of him and then spun rapidly (like a drill) and crashed into BlackWarGreymon. Soon he flew back (and BlackWarGreymon looked pretty hurt) before MetalGarurumon said: "Ice wolf claw!" and all kinds of metal plates on his body got lifted up, revealing ports to fire projectiles from! He then shot several small missiles that bombarded the leader of New Moon's side.

When MetalGarurumon stopped firing, New Moon's leader said: "Crescemon, get WarGreymon! Lunatic dance!" and Crescemon said: "Lunatic dance!" and she floated up in the air before she came down on WarGreymon and started slashing at him repeatedly with her scythe. When she stopped, she ran back to her side and WarGreymon looked flustered… "WarGreymon?" Nokia asked. WarGreymon then roared out and hit Larry! "Hey! WarGreymon, what are you doing?!" Nokia said. The leader of New Moon said: "Haven't you ever seen the panic status condition before? It causes Digimon to panic and act on their own, sometimes engaging in friendly fire… like your WarGreymon there. Heh-heh…"

Nokia then frowned at him and I said: "Larry, acceleration boost! Sabrina, use talisman of light on Crescemon!" and Larry said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack as Sabrina said: "Talisman of light!" and drew another Japanese character and sent it flying at Crescemon again. The leader of New Moon said: "BlackWarGreymon, mow down Taomon! Use black tornado!" and BlackWarGreymon said: "Black tornado!" and he started to spin as Nokia's WarGreymon had and crashed into Sabrina, knocking her over and he flew back to his side… but Sabrina wouldn't get up! I was shocked as the leader of New Moon said: "Huh? Already? What a weak Digimon!" I grimaced at him before I said to Sabrina: "Don't listen to that moron, Sabrina—you did a good job weakening Crescemon." "Th-thanks Simon…" Sabrina said. I then called her back and sent in Scott. The leader of New Moon then went on: "Now BlackMetalGarurumon, blast them with ice wolf claw!" and BlackMetalGarurumon said: "Ice wolf claw!" and lots of plates of metal lifted on his body as well before he shot missiles from the ports beneath them at us, as MetalGarurumon had.

"Zephyr, attack BlackWarGreymon again! Kunai wing!" I said. Zephyr then said: "Kunai wing!" and hit BlackWarGreymon with more kunai. Nokia then said: "MetalGarurumon, hit that pesky Crescemon with ice archery 3!" and MetalGarurumon said: "Ice archery 3!" and he conjured an icicle and fired it at Crescemon.

"Crescemon, use ocean wave 3! BlackMetalGarurumon, give them another ice wolf claw!" the leader of New Moon said. Crescemon then said: "Ocean wave 3!" and she caused a big wave of water to form in front of our side and come crashing into all of our Digimon! By the end of it, Zephyr was down! I then called him back and sent in Pepper before BlackMetalGarurumon said: "Ice wolf claw!" and bombarded our side with missiles again. "Alright, now it's time to fight back! Larry, hit Crescemon with oblivion bird! Scott, use saint knuckle 3 on Crescemon!" I said and Larry said: "Oblivion bird!" and shot the missile on his spine at Crescemon and knocked her over! Scott then leapt at her and said: "Saint knuckle 3!" and his fist began to shine before he pummeled Crescemon!

Unfortunately, Crescemon still got up, but she looked very worn down… she was even wobbling in place. The leader of New Moon then said: "BlackWarGreymon, attack MetalGarurumon! Use destruction cannon 3!" and BlackWarGreymon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" before Nokia said: "It's time to block, MetalGarurumon!" and MetalGarurumon assumed a defensive position before BlackWarGreymon lobbed a blob of darkness at him! Luckily, MetalGarurumon recovered from the attack. WarGreymon then roared out and hit Pepper.

The leader of New Moon said: "Crescemon, use ocean wave 3 again!" and Crescemon said: "Ocean wave 3!" and caused another wave to hit our side! Pepper and WarGreymon took it the hardest before I said: "Scott, finish off Crescemon! Wolkenapalm 3!" and Scott said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where Crescemon was… and she was down after it hit! The leader of New Moon then called her back and I then said: "Larry, use oblivion bird on BlackWarGreymon! Pepper, use Giga destroyer on BlackMetalGarurumon!" and Larry said: "Oblivion bird!" and shot a missile at BlackWarGreymon. Pepper then said: "Giga destroyer!" and fired missiles from his chest plate at BlackMetalGarurumon. The leader of New Moon then said: "BlackWarGreymon, use dark terra force! BlackMetalGarurumon, use garuru tomahawk on SkullGreymon!" and BlackWarGreymon said: "Dark terra force!" and sent another giant crimson-colored sphere at our Digimon before Nokia said: "Block it, MetalGarurumon!" and MetalGarurumon assumed a defensive stance before it hit our Digimon. BlackMetalGarurumon then said: "Garuru tomahawk!" and shot a warhead at Larry—and he was down! I then called Larry back and sent in Jason. WarGreymon then roared out and struck Pepper again… but at least he looked back to normal after he did.

I then said: "Pepper, use giga destroyer on BlackWarGreymon! Jason, give BlackMetalGarurumon a saint knuckle 2! Scott, boost your strength!" and Scott said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks before Jason said: "Saint knuckle 2!" and ran up as his paws started to shine and he swiped at BlackMetalGarurumon. When he got back, Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and fired missiles at BlackWarGreymon. "BlackWarGreymon and BlackMetalGarurumon, blast away—dark terra force and ice wolf claw!" the leader of New Moon said. And then they attacked with them before Pepper was down… and even WarGreymon was in a kneeling position and MetalGarurumon could barely stand… The leader of New Moon then said: "Ahahaha! Looks like your Digimon are dropping like flies! Especially you, Ms. 'are you scared yet?'! Only a few more and this battle will be ours—and I can't wait to see you grovel!"

Nokia then clenched her fists before she said: "No, we're not done yet! We're not getting finished off just when we got started! This is where we're going to take charge and turn things around—just like leaders should!" the leader of New Moon then smirked before he said: "I think it's about time for you to be honest with yourselves—" before Nokia said: "Shut up!" and the leader of New Moon looked surprised before Nokia held her phone up and said: "WARGREYMON!" and then he rose and then she said: "METALGARURUMON!" and he rose up as well before she said: "DNA digivolve!"

And then WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon rose up into the air and turned into small white balls before they crashed into each other and came back down. So now Nokia had done this too… I then saw her Digimon: he was a humanoid Digimon who stood on two legs and wore white armor all over. He had two arms with differently colored shoulders—the left one was orange and like a shield while the right one was blue and spiky—but one arm ended with what looked like an enlarged version of WarGreymon's head, with the same shape, horns, eye holes and mouth and the other arm ended with an enlarged version of MetalGarurumon's head with the same mouth and eye holes. On his head he also had two eyes of his own and he had a giant dark red cape bound around his back. He looked a whopping 15'8 tall.

Finally, the leader of New Moon said: "What's with this? You done playing around now?" and Nokia said: "If you want to play around, I can show you the nearest sandbox—it's a bit of a commute, but it'll do." "Why you…!" the leader of New Moon said before he said: "I'll get you for that! BlackWarGreymon, hit him with a black tornado! BlackMetalGarurumon, follow up with a garuru tomahawk!" and then BlackWarGreymon said: "Black tornado!" and spun into Nokia's Digimon—but he didn't have any trouble recovering from it! BlackMetalGarurumon then said: "Garuru tomahawk!" and fired another warhead at Nokia's Digimon, but that barely did anything either…

"Wh-what the…?!" the leader of New Moon said before Nokia said: "Alright, now it's our turn! Omnimon, use supreme cannon on the BlackWarGreymon!" and Nokia's Digimon said: "Supreme cannon!" and pointed his arm with the head like MetalGarurumon's at BlackWarGreymon before the mouth opened, revealing a small cannon! It then fired a cannonball at BlackWarGreymon and when it hit him, he got knocked straight over and fell on his back! "Uwah!" BlackWarGreymon said—and he wouldn't get up! "What?! BlackWarGreymon?!" the leader of New Moon said. "Heh-heh-heh! How about that?!" Nokia asked.

The leader of New Moon then said: "Argh…" as I called out Gil and said: "Jason, use razor wind! Gil, use comet hammer 2! Scott, blast him with atomic blaster!" and Jason said: "Razor wind!" and he curled up into a ball and rolled at BlackMetalGarurumon and struck at him four times with his sword tail! Gil then said: "Comet hammer 2!" and made rocks come falling down on BlackMetalGarurumon! Finally, Scott said: "Atomic blaster!" and fired massive lasers from the laser cannons on his chest at BlackMetalGarurumon! After taking these attacks, BlackMetalGarurumon could still stand, but just barely so… Finally, Nokia said: "Omnimon, time to finish up! Hit BlackMetalGarurumon with supreme cannon again!" and Omnimon said in his booming voice: "Supreme cannon!" and fired another cannonball at BlackMetalGarurumon—and he was down and out after that!

The leader of New Moon then called his Digimon back and Nokia said: "Awesome! Way to go, Omnimon!" and Omnimon smiled back at her before I turned to my Digimon and said: "Great work to you too, everyone—you stood your ground well and did a good job!" and they all grinned. We then turned around and saw Yasu, Haruka, Daisuke, Takashi, Megumi and Yasanori had finished off all of their opponents too!

I then said: "Great job, everyone! You all did a fantastic job! This battle was an undisputed success for the Heroes' Network!" and our teammates cheered while New Moon was looking thoroughly disheartened! Nokia then turned to the leader of New Moon and said: "So do you see where you stand now? Get out of here and don't ever pick on innocent Digimon again!" "Dang you…! We'll get you back for this someday!" the leader of New Moon said. Then he and his team left!

We all then gathered up and Yasanori said: "That was great! Our first battle as a team was a total success!" "It was. And it was all thanks to teamwork. I knew we had champion material when we were scouting all of you!" I said. Takashi laughed and said: "Easy for you to say now. All the same though… thanks. You and Nokia are a lot nicer than any leader in the Demons." "Yeah, and this team has a lot more passion and energy than the Zaxons did. I like it here too!" Haruka said. We all smiled and then Chitose came up and said: "Heh… what a team you all are. That's awesome. It's been a lot of fun getting to tag along and observe, even."

Nokia and I then turned to him and she said: "Thanks! That's just the way we do things in the Heroes' Network!" and then she went on: "By the way, Chitose…" and he looked at her as she went on: "As long as you enjoy our team so much, do you want to join? We'd be happy to have you!" "…Sorry, but I'm already in a team." Chitose said back. "Ah, I see. They're lucky to have you then." I said. Chitose then smiled and said: "Thanks. However…" and then he went on: "I really enjoyed tagging along today. If your team ever needs help, feel free to call me. I'll be happy to help. Care to exchange contact information?"

We then did so and Chitose said: "Alright, thanks! I'd best get back home for the day now. See you, Heroes' Network!" and he left. "We should get going too. Even though we proved what we're made of, those battles took a lot out of us." I said. Nokia nodded and said: "I agree." And she turned to the others before she said: "Good work today, everyone! Now let's head back to the hall of heroes!" and everyone nodded before we returned to the hall of heroes.

Shortly after we arrived, we caught up with each other until eventually all our members left. When that was done, I turned to Nokia and said: "This was a great day for the Heroes' Network. Great job today, Nokia." Nokia then smiled and said: "Thanks! Yup, that was pretty awesome! Our members put in a lot of effort!" "Absolutely. Although to be honest, I'm the most impressed with you, Nokia." I said. "Huh? How do you mean?" Nokia asked. "You've really changed. It's not just your kindness to Digimon—your abilities as a leader have really improved, and you were really confident and really carried yourself like a heroine today in front of that hacker team. You've come a long way since you first met Agumon and Gabumon." I said.

Nokia smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon! Of course I owe it to Omnimon—he was the one defending us!" she then turned to Omnimon and said: "You were so great today, Omnimon! You did an awesome job protecting us and the Digimon! You're exactly the kind of partner I had hoped for!" Omnimon then smiled and said: "Thank you, Nokia. This has been a fun journey under your leadership and I know we'll continue to get even stronger together. I'm glad I met you back in Kowloon." Nokia then smiled and said: "Thanks, Omnimon! And I feel exactly the same!" She then turned to me and said: "Well, we'd best be going too. See you next time, Simon!" "Sure thing! Bye, Nokia!" I said. We then logged out.

When I was out of the hall of heroes, I walked off contentedly. I was really happy with how today had went. All the same though, I couldn't help but feel uneasy at how I had done against the leader of New Moon… it was lucky Nokia's Digimon had DNA digivolved, because if they hadn't, we may have lost… as embarrassed as I was to admit it, I had not played a leading role in that battle. That privilege had been earned by Nokia and Omnimon. I didn't like feeling weak, so I decided to go to the Digilab to see if any of my Digimon could digivolve.

When I arrived, I greeted Mirei before I healed my Digimon and checked. I was pleased to see that Jason, Zephyr and Gil all could digivolve! I then rounded everyone up and called them out in the Digilab. When they were all out, Gil soon said: "Ah, it looks like it's time for someone to digivolve, huh?" "Yup! You, Jason and Zephyr all are ready to digivolve, so I thought I'd make it happen!" I said. "Oh that's great! Let's do it then!" Jason said.

I nodded and then started by digivolving Jason into a Chirinmon—he walked on four legs and had brown pants over them, along with white and gold boots on his feet. He had green and gold battle armor with red gems and a white neck, with a white, red-orange and green head that had a dark red horn coming out of his forehead. He had feathery white wings and five golden brown tails. He looked 5'3 tall. When the process ended, I said: "Congratulations, Jason! You're coming along great!" Jason then smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon! I'm glad you think so. And I'm really excited for the next digivolution too—I'll work hard to digivolve into a really strong mega Digimon!" "I know you will! It's only a matter of time, Jason!" I said. He smiled and then went off with the others.

I then chose to digivolve Zephyr into a Crowmon. As his name implied, he looked very much like a crow, but he had white feathers around his neck, purple feathers on his head and a red plume that went backwards from his head, blades like a blender on his wings, bells attached to his chest and three purple legs with red talons. He looked 4'10 tall, although he was flying, making him appear taller.

When the process finished, I said: "Alright Zephyr! You're still growing really nicely!" Zephyr grinned and said: "Thanks, Simon. I'll keep on doing my best for the team!" "Great! And you've been doing a great job so far too, Zephyr!" I said. Zephyr smiled and said: "I'm relieved to hear that. I'm always glad to be useful to everyone here." "Of course! Any time Simon needs a vaccine Digimon, you always do a great job stepping up and taking charge, Zephyr." Eustace said. "Yeah, you've always been a big help. It's nice that we can count on you." Daisy said. Zephyr smiled and said: "Everyone…" before he went on: "Thank you. Let's keep getting strong together!" and he flew off with the others.

I then finished up by digivolving Gil into a Gigadramon—a flying half-mechanical, half-organic serpent that had a gray body with a blue underbelly and mechanical wings and two arms that each ended with pointed mechanical claws at the end that could fire bullets and missiles out of them. He had no legs and the upper part of his face was covered with metal (including over his pointed ears) and he had eye holes too. He looked 6'10 tall. When the process finished, I said: "Good job, Gil! You've come a long way really fast." Gil then smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. It's all thanks to you and the others, though. I'll keep doing what I can to return the favor!" and he flew off to everyone else. After that, I added Pepper, Jason, Zephyr, Daisy, Sabrina, Scott and Gil to my phone (leaving Elena, Larry and Eustace in the farm island) and left the Digilab to train until Kyoko called, but she never did… even so, it was fun to reconnect with everyone in the Heroes' Network today. I didn't expect to be outshined by Nokia, but life is full of surprises—and I'm determined to catch up!


	33. Simon: Gate to Valhalla

Simon Chapter 17—Gate to Valhalla—

The next day, I went into the agency and asked Kyoko if any new cases came in, but there still weren't any, so I left and decided to train my Digimon again. I then headed to the fourth floor, but as I went, I felt my phone vibrate! I checked it and saw I got a text message… from Yuuko!

I read it and it said: "Hackers of EDEN, this is Yuuko Kamishiro of the Zaxons. I want to ask you all something: the EDEN cyberspace that my father built was intended to be a place where everyone could be free and be themselves. But is that really the way we are today? With the recent change in culture (and leadership) of Kamishiro, now we are treated as unwanted prey, something to be oppressed and wiped out. EDEN, our safe haven, is under siege by Kamishiro itself—including a lesser known part known as Under Zero, of the Valhalla Server. If EDEN is our safe haven, then Under Zero is our holy land—it was the place which was intended to be a utopia for the hackers of EDEN. But now Kamishiro has taken it over and reduced it to being a fortress with some of the toughest security known in the world. Even though we are treated as prey, I believe this is not truly our role—if we all band together, we can become the predators, drive Kamishiro out of Under Zero and reclaim what is ours! Therefore, I beseech you: let us put our differences aside and work together as hackers to take back our utopia, Under Zero!" Her message also had the URL for the Valhalla Server on it…

I was shocked when I finished reading it. It looked like Yuuko was finally making her move… after what she had said, it was plain to see why she wanted to wage war on Kamishiro, but… trying to capture Under Zero? _That_ was a dangerous proposition… and despite what she said, I didn't feel any need to take that away from Kamishiro. That was why I had no intention of going on this mission. I simply continued as planned and went to the fourth floor and logged into Kowloon.

I went along training my Digimon for a while, but as I kept going, I started to hear distant voices… from behind me. I ran off and hid behind a blue block to see who it was. A little bit later, I could hear the voices more clearly. One of them was a boy's, saying: "Hey did you hear that recent rumor?" and another boy's voice said: "Oh come on man, there have been sooo many recently… which one are you talking about? Yuuko's announcement, the speculated tamer groups that have pledged to take on Under Zero? Or the one about Arata Sanada rounding up his old friends to go to Under Zero?"

I was very surprised when I heard the last one! Arata 'rounding up his old friends'… he had said nothing to Nokia or me about it. That being said, I couldn't help but wonder who these friends were… I then heard the other guy say: "Yeah, the one about Arata. Didn't you find that interesting?" And then the other guy said: "Well sure. It sounds like he's going back for another go… although is he with the Zaxons, or doing it on his own?" "No idea. If the Zaxons have Arata on their side though, this might just be in the bag!" The other guy said.

Now their voices were too distant to hear, but that didn't matter… I was amazed now! Arata had attacked Under Zero before? Now I really wanted to know what this was about… but before I could contemplate this any further, I got a call! I answered it and said: "Hello?" I then heard Nokia excitedly say: "Hey Simon! Did you hear the news about Under Zero?" "Yes I did…" I said. "Great! Then come to the hall of heroes—we need to talk about what to do!" Nokia said. "Understood. I'm on my way." I said. I then turned back and logged out, then logged into the hall of heroes.

When I arrived, I saw Nokia, Yasu, Daisuke, Haruka, Takashi, Megumi and Yasanori all waiting. Nokia then waved and I came up before she said: "Alright! Now I'm sure everyone has heard the announcement by Yuuko, right?" Everyone answered affirmatively before Nokia said: "Great! Now I don't know about you, but personally, I think we should go! This is our chance to make the Heroes' Network known across all of EDEN and prove how great we are!" Everyone else seemed excited about the prospect of going too…

Nokia then turned to me and said: "So what about you, Simon?" "…Normally I would be against it—especially since we have so little to gain from it—but I heard something when I was out training in Kowloon that has me interested in going now…" I said and then Nokia said: "Great! So what was that?" "…I heard Arata's going to Under Zero too—" I began and then Nokia looked surprised as she said: "Wha—wait a minute! Arata? At Under Zero?" "Yes. I'd like to see why he's setting foot there, so I don't mind going." I said. "I would too! Alright then, it's settled! We've got a two-fold objective: find out what Arata's doing and get to Under Zero! Alright, let's go, Heroes' Network!" Nokia said.

"Well hold your horses! Shouldn't we call Chitose for something this dangerous?" I asked. "Oh yeah! Good thinking, Simon!" Nokia said. I nodded and called Chitose, and he said he'd be happy to help us. I thanked him before the call ended and I turned to Nokia and said: "Chitose will be joining us on our little excursion too." "Great! Now we're all the better off!" Nokia said. I nodded and said: "Alright, Heroes' Network—let's show EDEN what we can do!"

And everyone cheered before we all logged into the Valhalla Server. It had a night sky background with lots of light blue walkways all around the area. We waited for Chitose to arrive for a while (and several tamers went by as we did)… before Chitose arrived and came up to us! "Welcome, Chitose! Thanks for coming!" I said. He then grinned and said: "It's my pleasure for a friend… or eight of them." We all then laughed as he went on: "But seriously, I'm glad I could help you. Together, I'm sure we'll be able to accomplish big things today." "I think so too, Chitose!" Nokia said. She then went on: "So let's make it happen! I am pumped to make a name for the Heroes' Network in history today!" and then we all started to proceed into the Valhalla Server.

As we went through, there were some Digimon battles, but they were no problem for us as a team. Soon we came up on a new area—it had many walkways and a path in the distance that lead onward… but there wasn't a walkway joining the path ahead! It was separated by too much void to jump… there were also more data plates, some of which had tags on them! There was a red one, a green one, a yellow one and a purple one… and four plates that weren't projecting anything. This looked like a job for the copy and paste hacker skill again!

When Nokia saw it, she said: "Whoa! What happened to the road ahead?" "It looks like it's been sealed off by security. Fortunately, I've seen this layout before—see those colored tags Nokia?" I asked. "Yeah… what about 'em?" Nokia asked. "They're linked to the security. If we copy one of them and put them into the right combination on the data plates, it should make the walkway appear." I said. "That's great! But uh… how do we do that? Or know the right combination?" Nokia said. "Anyone who has a vaccine Digimon can use the copy and paste hacker skill to copy the tag and then paste it onto a blank plate. As for knowing the right combination… there are usually encrypted files that have them. All we need is to find one and have someone with a data Digimon use the code scan hacker skill to read it. Let's search." I said.

Nokia nodded and we split up and looked around the area before I heard Yasu say: "I found it!" and we all ran over to him where we saw a series of pages that had three red lines, two of which were in an 'x' shape and the third was wrapped around the middle across them. There was no doubt about it—this was encrypted data! "Great job, Yasu! That's an encrypted file alright!" I said. "Heh-heh! Thanks! So you said anybody with a data Digimon can access the data, right Simon?" Yasu asked.

"Exactly right. I have one right now, so I could easily—" I began, but Yasu had already pulled up a screen of data and was typing on it. I guess he must want to try it… in a moment, the red lines around the pages re-aligned themselves to all be wrapped around the middle of the pages and sunk down and disappeared. I then smiled and said: "Yup, that's how you do it! What does it say?" "It says the right combination is to paste the red tag onto the upper left-hand plate that's blank, paste the green tag onto the upper right-hand plate that's blank, paste the yellow tag onto the lower left-hand plate that's blank, and to paste the purple tag onto the lower right-hand plate that's blank…" Yasu said. "That's a lot to remember at once…" Megumi said. "Yeah, I agree. Here, let me download it and sent it to all of you…" Yasu said.

Soon enough, I felt my phone vibrate and I took it out (and it seemed everyone else had the same experience, because they took their phones out too) and I saw I got a text message from Yasu. I checked it and it had the information he had just relayed in the file! "Great job, Yasu! Now we just need to paste the tags…" Nokia said. "Exactly. Everyone! Get into groups of two and get going!" I said.

I then paired up with Nokia, while Yasu paired up with Yasanori, Daisuke paired up with Megumi and Haruka paired up with Takashi and we each went to a projected tag. When Nokia and I arrived at the yellow one, I copied the tag and then we went to the blank data plate in the lower left corner and I pasted it on, causing it to project a yellow tag. "Looks like that'll do it. Now we just have to wait for the others, eh Nokia?" I asked, but I didn't get a response. "Uh… Nokia?" I asked. I still didn't get a response, so I turned around and saw her off in the distance approaching Chitose… and Keisuke!

I then ran off after her and by the time I closed in, I heard Nokia say: "Oh Keisuke! It's good to see you again! What a coincidence!" She knew Keisuke…? That was interesting. I guess he's been meeting people all over… Keisuke then looked shocked and said: "NOKIA? What—" and then he spotted me and said: "And Simon too?! What's going on?!" "This is our tamers group, the Heroes' Network! Simon and I worked out the name. Pretty cool, huh? We're here to make a name for ourselves and to find out why a friend of ours came here." Nokia said.

Keisuke then looked even more shocked before he turned to Chitose and said: "T-tamer group?! Then Chitose, did you really—" before Chitose said: "Keisuke, read my lips when I say this: I am _NOT_ leaving Hudie and I never intend to. I'm only helping Nokia, Simon and their team until this madness with Ryuji and Under Zero is sorted out. I'm a guest in their midst and nothing more." I then stepped forward and said: "Sorry about the confusion, Keisuke. Nokia, our members and I met Chitose in Kowloon when we were on an outing. Even though we eventually asked, Chitose wasn't interested in joining us, but we did get along pretty well and he offered to help us, so here we are."

Then I paused and went on: "Still, to think he was in Hudie with you… your team must have some amazing tamers…" Keisuke finally looked more relaxed and he smiled as he said: "Thanks, Simon. There aren't that many of us, but we get the job done, alright!" and then Nokia smiled and said: "Just like us! We only started recently, so we're a group of promising newcomers too!" "Really? That's amazing. You have a good set of tamers if you made it into the Valhalla Server so soon." Keisuke said.

"Right?! We're rising stars! That's why we're going all the way into space with this mission!" Nokia said. We all then laughed together before I heard something and turned around to see that the gap in between the walkways had been bridged! I guess the others had finished copying and pasting too! I then turned around and said: "Alright, that's enough chit-chat! The others are waiting on us! Let's go, team!" and Nokia and I caught up to everyone else. We congratulated everyone before we prepared to proceed further in. I turned around to check on Chitose… and saw that he was still back with Keisuke, talking to him… I then cupped my hand to my mouth and said loudly: "CHITOSE? Are you coming?" and he said one more thing to Keisuke before he ran after us, with Keisuke following. I smiled as I saw it. It looks like our team just got one member bigger.

We then continued through Under Zero, fighting off more Digimon and breaching more security as we went, until we made it to an open area. It looked like it was just us, meaning we were either really early… or really late. However, as we approached, we saw someone in the distance: it was a man. He wore a pale green colored tank top with beige pants that were crops and had a blue jacket tied around his waist. He had beige sandals and short white hair. Although he was just standing in the way of the path ahead…

When we saw him, we stopped. "That guy up ahead… what's he doing?" Nokia asked. "Hmm… it looks like he might be a guard. Although it would only make sense Kamishiro would be starting to cover their bases…" I said. But just then, Keisuke and Chitose went running up to him! "HEY! Hold on, guys!" I said as we ran after them.

As we closed in, Chitose said: "Ryuji!" and then the man turned around and said: "Oh, Chitose… and Keisuke too." Nokia then turned to Chitose and said: "You know him, Chitose?" Chitose looked focused as he said: "…Yeah. Just go on ahead, Nokia. This is between me, Keisuke and him." "Wh-what? Why would you want to…?" Nokia began and then I said: "It's alright. It's probably personal. Let's take him at his word." I then turned to Keisuke and Chitose and said: "See you soon guys! We'll rendezvous at Under Zero!" And then we ran ahead.

As we ran off, I thought I heard the man… Ryuji… yell: "STOP RIGHT THERE!" and I immediately turned around to see Keisuke and Chitose blocking him. Looks like he was a guard after all… nonetheless, I decided to leave it to them. We were on a mission after all. We continued and ran on ahead until we found another teleportation pad! We then took it… and wound up in an open space with a giant, black data core up ahead… and a crowd of people assembled by it!

Nokia then looked so excited and said: "Oh my gosh… this is it! Under Zero!" "Looks like it is! Let's get moving, team!" I said. We then started to proceed up to the data core, but as we did, we heard voices… I heard Fei's voice in the distance say: "Well, if it isn't Arata Sanada, the has-been leader of the Judes…" Nokia and I then stopped in our tracks. Arata was the leader of the Judes?! He never told us he had experience as a hacker before, much less being the leader of a renowned team of them! We then exchanged glances as we proceeded further.

We then heard Arata's voice in the distance say: "Tch… you can't keep anything quiet nowadays…" We then heard Fei's voice say: "I don't know what brought you here, but if you're looking to steal our prize, you should quit while you're ahead." We then heard Yuuko's voice say: "Fei does speak the truth, Arata. Your little group here is no match for us. You should leave before you get annihilated."

We then heard someone stomp their foot down and Arata yelled: "You morons! I didn't come here to take anything from you! I came here to stop YOU from being annihilated!" We then heard Fei's voice say: "So you're concerned with our safety… how touching. All the same though, I can assure you, there is nothing to worry about… if you're telling the truth, that is." We then heard Yuuko's voice say: "I have to agree with Fei—I find it a little hard to believe that you would come all the way out here just out of concern for us. But even if you did, we are more than ready for what's waiting for us."

"Ha! And you aren't even the ones who know what's on the other side of that data core yet!" Arata began and there was a pause before he went on: "I don't know about you, but we're the only ones here who actually know what security is in store for whoever breaches the data core, so with that being said, I think you should listen to your elders in hacking." Fei then sounded furious as she said: "You… do you want to repeat that?!" and Yuuko said: "Fei…" and there was another pause before she said: "Okay, as long as you're so concerned for our safety, why don't you tell us what horrible thing is on the other side?"

There was a pause before Arata said: "It was a Digimon… it was aggressive and its powers were terrifying… it wasn't like anything we had ever seen before. When we were attacked by it, it demoralized us and sucked the life right out of the Judes until our team disbanded. I don't want that to happen to a team of Hackers like yours, so I wanted to stop you from suffering the same fate, that's all."

We then heard Fei say: "Is that the end of your story?" and there was a pause before she said: "You are so stupid. You wasted you and your team members' time dragging your butts out here without even thinking. I mean, think about it for one second—even if you didn't have Digimon and that was what accounted for your defeat, we do. Our group is also bigger than the ragtag bunch that you took here the first time and we have more technical expertise. That alone is enough of a difference to ensure that we'll succeed where you failed."

Yuuko then said: "Fei's right. If you're going to make these weak arguments without even thinking about simple differences, this conversation is over." Arata then said: "You're being completely short-sighted. It's obvious you have Digimon—but you don't want to know how strong the one we saw was. You're also not considering how strong it may have become since then… or if Kamishiro has introduced something even worse." We then heard Fei say: "Enough! You don't scare us! Now get out of here!" I then heard Arata say: "It looks like I can't persuade you… so you leave me no choice. My buddies from the Judes and I are ready to fight and knock out your Digimon if that's what it takes to stop you."

We were starting to close in as we saw Arata (and the friends he'd brought)… and the Zaxons on the opposing side. Yuuko then said: "Don't be delusional—" and then Fei said: "It's alright. Zaxon's a cutting-edge hacker team. Beating down this bunch of dinosaurs won't be hard at all." Fei then stood across from Arata and Yuuko stood across from one of Arata's friends (and other Zaxons and former Judes lined up too) and Arata said: "If I win, you'll have to do what I say and leave." And then Fei said: "And if we win, you're going to have to turn around and run away with your tail in between your legs. Also, you'll have to defeat _all_ of us to win, not just the ones across from your guys. You can't just expect to weasel your way to the top—that's not how this works." We then ran in and I said: "Arata!" Arata then turned around and said: "What…?! Simon?! And Nokia?! What are you doing here?"

"We're not just Simon and Nokia! We're the Heroes' Network! A real team of tamers and we're here to claim glory for our team!" Nokia said. And then I said: "But also… we wanted to know what you were doing here, Arata, although it looks like that's been revealed…" Arata then said: "Tch… So you heard all that huh? Well that's right—I'm here to stop these boneheads from hurting themselves." Fei then frowned and said: "So now as a result of you all gatecrashing this, it's a three-way confrontation, hmm? Well fine! Zaxon will come out on top!" "Fine with us! Come o—" Nokia began and I said: "STOP! Leave this to them!" Nokia then turned to me and said: "What?! Simon! You want to quit after having come all the way out here?!"

"If what Arata said was true, we should be cautious—we're a new hacker team with eight members. We shouldn't push it. Besides, we made it to Under Zero, Nokia—that's huge. We've already made a big accomplishment today." I said. Nokia then sighed and said: "You're right." And then she smiled before she said: "This is why you're our leader—you keep everything in perspective!" Arata grinned before he turned to Fei and said: "Hmph. At least they have their heads screwed on right. You know, you really could learn a thing or two from their example too." Fei then grimaced and said: "Who asked you?!"

She then turned to us and said: "So you're sitting it out then?! Well fine! This'll be all the easier!" Haruka then said: "What do we do, Simon?" "…Let's bear witness to this battle. I want to see what happens to Arata and his friends before we leave." I said. The former members of the Judes then fought the Zaxons… and they lost decisively. Not a single Jude won the first round, including Arata…

"What?! No! We lost?!" Arata said. Fei then laughed and said: "You guys sure are weak! It's no wonder you couldn't breach the security here!" Yuuko then said: "Well I appreciate your concern Arata, but if you couldn't defeat whatever Digimon lies on the other side of the data core and you lost to us, I think we're in good shape. Now go on—it's time you threw in the towel." Arata sighed and said to his friends: "Sorry about that, everyone. We've done all we can… now it's time for us to go." And they began to leave. I then turned to our members and said: "We should go too—that's enough adventure for one day." They all nodded and we left Under Zero with Arata and his friends.

As we made our way back to the entrance, Nokia turned to Arata and said: "I'm still surprised you were the leader of the Judes, Arata! How come you never said anything?" "You didn't know and that was the way I wanted to keep it…" Arata said. Then he went on: "It was pretty embarrassing getting chewed up and spat out by Zaxon when we were trying to come back in a blaze of glory after all those years… but at least you guys listened to us and avoided inviting disaster. That alone is a victory in a sense…" "That is true, I suppose. I just hope Yuuko, Fei and the other Zaxons don't get in over their heads…" I said. Arata sighed and said: "Yeah, me too…"

We then arrived at the entrance and Arata said: "I'm glad you're all okay. That really made this worthwhile. We'll be going now—good luck, Heroes' Network." We all then smiled and Arata and his friends logged out while we went back to the hall of heroes. When we arrived, Nokia said: "Congratulations, everyone! We really outdid ourselves today, making it to Under Zero! This calls for a celebration!" and everyone got excited. We all went out for some desserts in Shinjuku and then came back before we said goodbye and went our separate ways. I was about to head to Kowloon to continue training myself, but then I remembered: I had forgotten about Chitose! I then took out my phone and texted him a message, saying: "Sorry about taking off like that! We were caught up in the middle of something, but don't worry—we're all okay. Are you alright, Chitose?" and then hoped he wouldn't be too mad at us…

I trained my Digimon for a while until I returned to the Digilab to heal them. I then eyed the terminal used for digivolving in the corner and decided to check if any of my Digimon could digivolve. I looked over how each of them were doing… and saw that Scott could! I then rounded everyone up and called them out and when they were all out, Jason said: "Ah, it looks like something special is happening, huh?" "You're right about that, Jason—this is a big day for me, because one of you is ready to digivolve into my first mega Digimon!" I said. Everyone then started talking amongst themselves before Sabrina said: "So who is it?" I then turned to Scott and said: "It's you, Scott!" Scott then smiled widely and said: "ALRIGHT! I've been so excited for this! There's no need for further words—let's just make it happen!" 

I smiled and nodded at him. It was good to see Scott this excited. I decided to digivolve Scott into a Gallantmon. When the process started, he became a colorless wireframe and then reshaped into a Gallantmon—a Digimon with white armor all over his body with two arms that had a giant shield at the end of his left arm and a giant lance at the end of his right arm. He had red armor around his ankles, knees, shoulders, midsection, and the top of his lance and a red mask with flappy ears above his eyes. He also had a red cape. His shield had a yellow circular ring around the edges and nine yellow triangles in it inside a yellow circle in the middle. He had two legs and looked 12 feet tall.

When the process ended, I was so excited! I then said: "Congratulations, Scott! You've finally reached the mega level, after all this time!" Scott then smiled back and said: "Yeah! I couldn't be happier! And I have to thank you too, Simon—your leadership and guidance have helped me reach this level that I've been so excited about. So thank you!" I smiled and said: "Anytime." "Congratulations, Scott! Reaching the mega level is something to be very proud of!" Jason said. "Yeah! Bravo, Scott!" Daisy said. Scott turned to them and said: "Thanks for your support, everyone. I know I'm only the first of many though—you'll all follow in kind, I know. So keep on working hard until you do!"

Everyone was all excited before they calmed down and I added Pepper, Jason, Zephyr, Sabrina, Elena, Gil—and of course Scott—to my team and left Daisy, Larry and Eustace in the farm island as I left to train my Digimon. Soon though, I felt my phone vibrate! I took it out and saw I had received a text from Chitose! I felt nervous as I checked it… it said: "I'm alright, thanks for asking. And don't worry about leaving—you should be glad you did, because it was a real disaster down there… and it wouldn't have changed what I would have done anyway. I'm glad you're all okay though."

I was happy Chitose wasn't mad, but I was still worried after seeing what he had wrote… a disaster? Then what had happened to Yuuko, Fei and the Zaxons…? Well, worrying about it won't help… I went back to training for the rest of the day.


	34. Keisuke: Kamishiro's sacrifice

Keisuke Chapter 17—Kamishiro's sacrifice—

The next day when I went into the office, I went to an empty cubicle and sat down before preparing to check the BBS… but then I felt my phone vibrate! I checked it and it was a message from Yuuko… it said: "Hackers of EDEN, this is Yuuko Kamishiro of the Zaxons. I want to ask you all something: the EDEN cyberspace that my father built was intended to be a place where everyone could be free and be themselves. But is that really the way we are today? With the recent change in culture (and leadership) of Kamishiro, now we are treated as unwanted prey, something to be oppressed and wiped out. EDEN, our safe haven, is under siege by Kamishiro itself—including a lesser known part known as Under Zero, of the Valhalla Server. If EDEN is our safe haven, then Under Zero is our holy land—it was the place which was intended to be a utopia for the hackers of EDEN. But now Kamishiro has taken it over and reduced it to being a fortress with some of the toughest security known in the world. Even though we are treated as prey, I believe this is not truly our role—if we all band together, we can become the predators, drive Kamishiro out of Under Zero and reclaim what is ours! Therefore, I beseech you: let us put our differences aside and work together as hackers to take back our utopia, Under Zero!" Her message also had the URL for the Valhalla Server on it… I then put away my phone.

I was shocked when I saw this. Yuuko was waging war on Kamishiro? What in the world would motivate her to do something so dangerous? I sat there for a while, trying to figure it out, but then heard a: "Keisuke?" and I turned around to see it was Erika. "Good morning, Erika. What is it?" I asked. "I wanted to ask you about something. Would you mind coming to my office?" Erika asked. "Not at all. Let me just get logged out and I'll be right there." I said. I then logged out and followed Erika to her office. When we arrived, I closed the door behind me and Erika sat across from me (and I sat down in suit) before I said: "So what's this all about?"

"Well first thing's first—have you heard Yuuko Kamishiro's announcement that she plans to take Under Zero?" Erika asked. "Yes I have. I saw the message a few minutes ago." I said. "Good. Then you'll know what I'm going to be referring to. So tell me—did Ryuji say anything to you about Under Zero? He told me he was going to help Yuuko… I argued against it, but he was adamant about going…" Erika said. "No he didn't. But…" I began and then Erika said: "But… what?" and then I went on: "…Chitose did." Erika then looked surprised as she said: "WHAT? So Chitose's in on this too?"

I then recounted Chitose's story about Ryuji lying to us, manufacturing lies for Kamishiro and working for them to pay for the cost of Erika's treatment… by the end of it, Erika looked devastated and said: "I see… that's… so horrible… and to think now he's going to Under Zero so he… so he can…" "Erika…" I said. Erika's head then shot up and she said: "NO! I don't want that!" and then she paused before she said: "Under Zero has arguably the toughest security on the planet! And if Ryuji is acting in concert with Kishibe and Kamishiro, he's going to lead every last hacker there to their doom! And if anything happens to them there, it'll be my fault—"

And then I said: "Don't say that, Erika!" "But it's true. Chitose said it—the whole reason that Ryuji is Kamishiro's personal gopher is to pay for the cost of this treatment to keep me alive… but I don't want to be an instrument of evil! I'd rather be dead!" Erika said back. "Erika…" I said. Erika then said: "Keisuke… I know you've done a lot for me and Hudie already, but please do this for me: stop Ryuji."

"Erika, you know what'll happen if—" I began, but then she said: "I know it and I accept it. It's all I want. Please…" she then looked down and closed her eyes. I felt so sad seeing this… I never knew Erika could be so sweet and caring… but one thing was absolutely true: this was her life and she should be the one to decide what her story is and what her life is used for. The thought of Erika dying without the support of Kamishiro's therapy… I would be sad if that happened, but… I didn't want to keep Erika miserable, powerless and in chains. I wasn't sure how Ryuji could do it…

Finally, I walked up and kissed Erika on the forehead. Her head immediately shot up and I said: "Alright, I will do it for you." Erika was frowning now (which didn't really surprise me. On the contrary, I almost found it funny how predictable she was) and she said: "Did you just…?!" and I said: "I shall be the messenger who carries out your will on your behalf. I'm not going to refuse your wish, Erika—this is your life and your story. And the only one who should decide its end and what it stands for is you."

And then Erika suddenly smiled and said: "Thank you…" I wasn't expecting her to do that, but somehow I still liked seeing it… finally, I said: "I'm off to Under Zero now. I'll be back." Erika nodded and I left her office. I then went to the cubicle and then I went to the Digilab first (to get ready). When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and put Hisyaryumon, Angewomon, Blanc, Crescemon, MegaSeadramon, Dorugamon, BlueMetalGreymon, LadyDevimon and Ciel into my phone (leaving Wingdramon and Taomon in the farm island together) and then left and logged out before logging into the Valhalla Server.

When I arrived, I saw it was a series of light blue walkways all around the area with a night sky background. I had no idea where Ryuji was, but I guess as I get closer to Under Zero, it will only be a matter of time before he appears! I then ran off ahead. Eventually, I came up on a path with a bunch of plates… there was a red one, a green one, a yellow one and a purple one that all were projecting tags of the same color… and four plates that weren't projecting anything. The area itself had a bunch of people approaching the plates, but there was someone closer to the entrance too… I approached and saw it was… Chitose!

When I saw this, I immediately approached him without thinking. As I closed in, it seemed Chitose noticed me, because he turned around and said: "KEISUKE? What are you doing here?!" "I am here on Erika's behalf. Now what about you…? I thought you had other priorities." I said. "Well I guess I should answer you before I go asking something else. The truth is—" Chitose began, but then I heard a: "Oh Keisuke! It's good to see you again! What a coincidence!"

I then looked up and saw it was Nokia! "NOKIA? What—" I began, and then I saw Simon approaching as well! "And Simon too?! What's going on?!" I asked. Nokia then said: "This is our tamers group, the Heroes' Network! Simon and I worked out the name. Pretty cool, huh? We're here to make a name for ourselves and to find out why a friend of ours came here."

A tamer group?! Did that mean Chitose had left Hudie?! When I heard this, I immediately turned to Chitose and said: "T-tamer group?! Then Chitose, did you really—" before Chitose said: "Keisuke, read my lips when I say this: I am _NOT_ leaving Hudie and I never intend to. I'm only helping Nokia, Simon and their team until this madness with Ryuji and Under Zero is sorted out. I'm a guest in their midst and nothing more." Seeing my confusion, Simon stepped forward and said: "Sorry about the confusion, Keisuke. Nokia, our members and I met Chitose in Kowloon when we were on an outing. Even though we eventually asked, Chitose wasn't interested in joining us, but we did get along pretty well and he offered to help us, so here we are."

Then he paused and went on: "Still, to think he was in Hudie with you… your team must have some amazing tamers…" I finally started to feel more relaxed and smiled as I said: "Thanks Simon. There aren't that many of us, but we get the job done, alright!" and then Nokia smiled and said: "Just like us! We only started recently, so we're a group of promising newcomers too!" I was surprised when I heard this and said: "Really? That's amazing. You have a good set of tamers if you made it into the Valhalla Server so soon."

"Right?! We're rising stars! That's why we're going all the way into space with this mission!" Nokia said. We all then laughed together before Simon turned around and then he said: "Alright, that's enough chit-chat! The others are waiting on us! Let's go team!" and he and Nokia caught up to everyone else.

Chitose turned to me and said: "…See? They're new, but they're a delightful bunch. That's why I want to help them for now… they could use someone as experienced as me to look out for them—" and then I heard Simon loudly say: "CHITOSE? Are you coming?" "Well, no time for that now, I guess. Come on! Let's go further in and see what lies in wait!" Chitose said. I smiled and said: "Yeah!"

We all then proceeded further into the server until we reached an open area. It looked relatively deserted, but it looked like someone was in the distance… we all approached the individual and as we closed in, I saw who it was: Ryuji! He was blocking the way ahead! "That guy up ahead… what's he doing?" Nokia asked. "Hmm… it looks like he might be a guard. Although it would only make sense Kamishiro would be starting to cover their bases…" Simon said. But I had heard enough—now I had the chance to do what I came for! Chitose and I immediately went running up to him! "HEY! Hold on, guys!" Simon said.

As we closed in, Chitose said: "Ryuji!" and then he turned around and said: "Oh, Chitose… and Keisuke too." Nokia then turned to Chitose and said: "You know him, Chitose?" Chitose looked focused as he said: "…Yeah. Just go on ahead, Nokia. This is between me, Keisuke and him." "Wh-what? Why would you want to…?" Nokia began and then Simon said: "It's alright. It's probably personal. Let's take him at his word." he then turned to me and Chitose and said: "See you soon guys! We'll rendezvous at Under Zero!" And then they all ran ahead.

As they ran off, Ryuji looked furious and yelled: "STOP RIGHT THERE!" and then Chitose and I stood in between him and the Heroes' Network. Ryuji then looked even madder and he said: "What are you doing?! Get out of the way—both of you!" "NO! I didn't come all the way out here to let you keep operating as you have! I'm here to stop you, Ryuji!" Chitose said. "You…! So this is how you're getting your kicks nowadays, huh Chitose? By running off and joining another team?" Ryuji said. "I haven't joined anyone else, Ryuji—I'm merely a guest in their midst until I can accomplish my original goal—stopping you from the brink of madness and making sure no one gets hurt here." Chitose said.

"Hmph." Ryuji replied. He then turned to me and said: "And what about you, Keisuke? Are you here to 'stop my madness' too?" I shook my head and said: "I am only here on Erika's behalf. I came here to make her wishes come true." Ryuji suddenly stopped looking furious and his face adopted a more surprised expression as he said: "And what wish are you talking about…?" "Erika… she wanted me to stop you." I said.

Ryuji then closed his eyes and said: "Well isn't this a stark contrast? It wasn't that long ago that we agreed on what was important for Erika…" but then he opened his eyes again and went back to looking furious as he said: "Even so, you're overflowing with sheer audacity today, for you to act like you know what she wants—" and then I said: "It is what she wants. Erika's verbatim words were to 'stop Ryuji'. I'm using her words, not mine."

Ryuji looked even madder now and said: "You… you damn punk—" before Chitose frowned and said: "Is that any way to talk to your friend? That's your problem—you push people away! You were like that even with Arata when we were in the Judes—" and then my eyes widened and I said: "The Judes?! Then… you both were…?!" and Chitose said: "Former members, yes. Ryuji and I were second-in-command and third-in-command respectively." I then grinned and said: "Incredible! But that's what I'd expect from my friends!" Chitose grinned and said: "Thanks Keisuke…" and then he went on: "Yeah, we were an incredible team… but…" and then he turned to Ryuji before he said: "It was all your fault Arata never joined us in Hudie! I still haven't forgotten that time when you stopped treating him with any respect or decency…! You made an unwelcome environment for one of our old friends!"

"This has nothing to do with Arata! And I don't intend to cut my ties with Kishibe—as you pressured me to do, I'll point out—or back down, even if you both intend to oppose me! My little sister's life is on the line and I will defend her! Even if I have to squash both of you!" Ryuji said. Chitose then backed away and said: "Damn, I didn't think you'd go that far… calm down, you stupid hot head!" "Chitose, he's done talking! We need to take a different approach!" I said. Chitose then looked down as he said: "Yeah, you're right…" before he looked up and said: "Alright then! We can do this, Keisuke!"

Ryuji then called out a GreenCoredramon, Cyberdramon, and a Dorugamon. I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: GreenCoredramon scan data: 15%. Cyberdramon scan data: 10%. Dorugamon scan data: 15%." That was a really well-balanced group… I decided to call out Angewomon, MegaSeadramon and LadyDevimon. Chitose then called out Ankylomon and Angemon. Ryuji then said: "Cyberdramon, pump everyone up! Attack charge field! GreenCoredramon, use awesome quake 3!" and Cyberdramon said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell on himself, GreenCoredramon and Dorugamon that increased their damage output with non-magic attacks. GreenCoredramon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and the ground started to rumble as a boulder appeared in between our Digimon and shattered moments later, raining down shards of rock on them!

I then said: "LadyDevimon, use darkness wave! Angewomon, use holy light 3 on GreenCoredramon! MegaSeadramon, weaken Cyberdramon with a mental break!" and LadyDevimon then spun backward and held her left arm with her right arm and said: "Darkness wave!" and bats crackling with magic energy appeared and flew into all of Ryuji's Digimon and exploded! After that, another wave came flying in and did it again! Angewomon then said: "Holy light 3!" and a shining, exploding cross of light formed where GreenCoredramon was! MegaSeadramon then said: "Mental break!" and cast a spell on Cyberdramon that weakened his damage output with magic attacks and his damage resistance to magic attacks. Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, give everyone a boost! Guard charge field! Angemon, use holy light 2 on Cyberdramon!" and Ankylomon said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell raising our Digimon's damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Angemon followed up by saying: "Holy light 2!" and conjured a shining, exploding cross of light where Cyberdramon was. Dorugamon then said: "Mach rush 3!" and he went into high gear and charged at our Digimon before causing a shockwave that knocked them all down.

I then said: "MegaSeadramon, use lightning javelin on Cyberdramon! LadyDevimon, give them another darkness wave!" and MegaSeadramon said: "Lightning javelin!" and zapped Cyberdramon with electricity from his horn, which he took pretty hard! LadyDevimon then said: "Darkness wave!" and made two more waves of those crackling bats attack Ryuji's Digimon. "Cyberdramon, attack LadyDevimon with desolation claw! GreenCoredramon, burn MegaSeadramon with a green flare breath! Dorugamon, use comet hammer 3 on Angewomon!" Ryuji said.

Cyberdramon then said: "Desolation claw!" and he put his hands close together, but they weren't touching. A ball of cyan energy then formed between them and he fired a beam of energy from it at LadyDevimon! GreenCoredramon then said: "Green flare breath!" and he breathed green flames at MegaSeadramon, which he took pretty hard! Dorugamon then said: "Comet hammer 3!" and he made rocks fall on Angewomon from above! Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, use tail hammer on Cyberdramon! Angemon, use holy light 2 on GreenCoredramon!" and Ankylomon said: "Tail hammer!" and swung his tail at Cyberdramon before Angemon said: "Holy light 2!" and attacked GreenCoredramon with it this time.

Ryuji then said: "Cyberdramon, use attack charge field again! GreenCoredramon, hit MegaSeadramon with another green flare breath! Dorugamon, use mach rush 3 again!" and Cyberdramon strengthened his side again while GreenCoredramon and Dorugamon attacked—and MegaSeadramon and Angewomon were starting to look worn down! Just then though, Chitose said: "Ankylomon, boost everyone again! Angemon, heal Angewomon with an X-heal!" and Ankylomon said: "Guard charge field!" and boosted everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks again while Angemon said: "X-heal!" and restored Angewomon's health by a lot!

I gave a sigh of relief and said: "That was a close one. Thank you, Chitose." Chitose then grinned and said: "I never turn a blind eye to a lady." I then returned my attention to the battle and said: "Angewomon, get rid of Cyberdramon's boosts! Celestial arrow! MegaSeadramon, weaken Cyberdramon again! Use mental break!" and Angewomon said: "Celestial arrow!" as she enlarged the winged sides of her white glove on her right hand into a bow and she made an arrow of light magically appear in it before she fired it at Cyberdramon—it made contact and wiped out Cyberdramon's boosts! "Whoa-ho! Great thinking, Keisuke!" Chitose said. Ryuji—on the other hand—looked very annoyed as he said: "You…!" and then MegaSeadramon said: "Mental break!" and he reduced Cyberdramon's damage output with and damage resistance to magic again! LadyDevimon pitched in too and said: "Darkness wave!" and kept the bats coming!

Ryuji then said: "GreenCoredramon, finish MegaSeadramon off! Green flare breath! Cyberdramon, use acceleration boost! Dorugamon, use aura!" GreenCoredramon then said: "Green flare breath!" and spewed green fire at MegaSeadramon that took him down! Cyberdramon then followed through and said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack… Dorugamon then said: "Aura!" and healed himself, GreenCoredramon and Cyberdramon by a little bit! I then called MegaSeadramon back and called in Crescemon before I said: "Angewomon and LadyDevimon, get ready to block! Crescemon, use hydro water 2 on Cyberdramon!" and Angewomon and LadyDevimon both started watching Ryuji's side closely as Crescemon said: "Hydro water 2!" and splashed Cyberdramon with a forceful current of water. Ryuji then said: "Cyberdramon, give them a mach rush 3! GreenCoredramon, use comet hammer 2 on Crescemon! Dorugamon, use aura again!" and then Cyberdramon said: "Mach rush 3!" and he ran straight at our team before Angewomon and LadyDevimon assumed a defensive stance and he knocked everyone down with a shockwave. Even though Angewomon and LadyDevimon were defending, it still looked pretty effective… GreenCoredramon then said: "Comet hammer 2!" and made rocks come falling down on Crescemon before Dorugamon said: "Aura!" and healed Ryuji's side again!

Chitose then said: "Ankylomon and Angemon! Use grand rock 2 and holy light 2 on Cyberdramon!" and Ankylomon said: "Grand rock 2!" and made a giant boulder emerge where Cyberdramon was standing and burst seconds later while Angemon said: "Holy light 2!" and made a shining, exploding cross emerge where Cyberdramon was after that. I then said: "Angewomon, give GreenCoredramon a taste of celestial arrow! LadyDevimon, use darkness wave! Crescemon, use hydro water 2 on Cyberdramon!" and then they all attacked before Ryuji said: "Argh… it's time to turn up the heat! GreenCoredramon, use green flare breath on Crescemon! Cyberdramon, use desolation claw on LadyDevimon! Dorugamon, bash Angewomon with a comet hammer 3!" and they attacked my Digimon with their attacks before Chitose said: "Ankylomon, boost everyone again! Angemon, use holy light 2 on GreenCoredramon!" and then Ankylomon said: "Guard charge field!" and gave our side another boost while Angemon attacked GreenCoredramon.

"Cyberdramon, use attack charge field! Dorugamon, use mach rush 3! GreenCoredramon, use green flare breath on Crescemon!" Ryuji said. Cyberdramon then boosted their strength before Dorugamon said: "Mach rush 3!" and charged at our Digimon before knocking them down with a shockwave… and that was all Angewomon and Angemon could take! They were down after that! "Urgh… that was disappointing, to have been taken down when we were so close to winning… but I'm not worried. I know you all can do it!" Angewomon said. I smiled at her and said: "I know you're right, Angewomon. You did such a great job today too!" and I called her back as Angemon said: "Argh… sorry, Chitose—" and then Chitose said: "What are you talking about? You did great, Angemon! Don't worry—Ankylomon and the others will finish this up!" and he called Angemon back too.

I then sent out Hisyaryumon and said: "LadyDevimon, use darkness wave! Crescemon, hit Cyberdramon with a hydro water 2! Hisyaryumon, use heavy strike 2 on GreenCoredramon!" and then Chitose said: "Ankylomon, you help too! Awesome quake!" And Ankylomon said: "Awesome quake!" and attacked with it before LadyDevimon said: "Darkness wave!" and she sent the bats at Ryuji's side… and they took down GreenCoredramon and Dorugamon! Crescemon then said: "Hydro water 2!" and sprayed Cyberdramon with a forceful stream of water and knocked him over! He wouldn't get up either—we had won!

Our Digimon celebrated as Ryuji looked down and said: "Urgh…" and Chitose said: "Have you calmed down yet, you cutthroat jerk?!" I then put my hand on Chitose's shoulder and said: "That's enough. This is going to be very hard on him too." Ryuji's head then shot up and he looked furious as he said: "Damn you…! First you ensure my little sister's death and then you pretend to understand me…!" and then he turned to the direction the Heroes' Network had gone and yelled: "Arrrgghhh!" and ran off! "Hey…! What do you think you're doing?!" Chitose asked. "Forget it! After him!" I said.

We then chased Ryuji down until we arrived at an open space with a giant, black data core up ahead… and a bunch of Zaxons nearby it! This had to be it… "So this is it… Under Zero…" I said. Chitose then nodded and said: "Yeah… just like it was before." But then Chitose started looking around before he said: "What…? Wait a minute! Something's wrong! Where are Simon, Nokia and the Heroes' Network?!" I then looked around and said: "You're right. There's not a one to be found." But then I looked ahead and spotted Ryuji! I then said: "But at least we know where Ryuji is…" And I pointed to him running up to the data core in the center. Chitose then said: "Ryuji!" and we chased him as Chitose said: "Stop right there!" Ryuji turned around and still looked furious as he said: "You are really starting to get on my nerves…!"

But then something surprising happened: We heard Rie Kishibe's voice being projected through the entire area, as though it was through a megaphone! She was saying: "Oh my, isn't this a pickle! It looks like Under Zero has been breached after all…" and then the Zaxons began to celebrate and cheer before Rie said: "…Except the truth is that I was hoping you'd make it here, everyone! Hee-hee!"

The Zaxons then looked confused and Rie said again: "Because now that you've wasted all of your strength fighting each other, you're not strong enough to protect yourselves from what I'm sending your way next!" "What?! What's happening now?!" Chitose asked. Almost as if in response, Rie said: "Ahahahaha! You hackers really are stupid! I can't believe how negligent, careless and oh so dumb you all were! Now look up and despair at what will be the end of Zaxon! And don't worry—I'll take good care of your bodies, a-hoo-hoo!"

Then we looked up and saw it: great quantities of Eaters were being dropped in! Some of them even were extremely humanoid and looked almost like people themselves! "Oh gosh… this is bad!" I said. The Eaters then started attacking the Zaxons (and the Zaxons fought back), but sure enough, what Rie said was exactly right… the Zaxons' Digimon weren't strong enough to defeat the Eaters in their weakened state… the Eaters then advanced on the tamers and began to… kiss them, by the looks of it… and then the Zaxon tamers collapsed!

"What…?! What happened to them?!" Chitose asked. "Are they…dead?" I asked. Ryuji looked devastated too and finally said: "I… I was set up? I was not only used as a tool to ensure their demise… but left here as a sacrifice as well?" and then he paused before he went on: "And Erika… what were they planning to do with her after they let me die?" The Eaters then finally started to approach us! "This is bad!" Chitose said. "We'll have to fight back! Even though the Zaxons couldn't win, at least they weakened them all!" I said. I then called out Blanc, Ciel and Hisyaryumon and Chitose called out Ankylomon. Ryuji then said: "I'd help you if I could, but my Digimon are all beaten up…" and I said: "Well maybe I could restore one. Call one of your Digimon out, Ryuji." and then he called out Cyberdramon while I said: "Blanc, heal Cyberdramon! Heal!" and she cast a spell on him to restore his health a bit. Ryuji then grinned and said: "Thanks, Keisuke."

Three Eaters then stepped forward (two were regular ones, one was one of the humanoid ones) and I said: "Blanc, help everyone out! Protect wave! Hisyaryumon, give Ciel a boost! Attack charge! Ciel, attack with silent bullet!" and Blanc said: "Protect wave!" and yellow barriers appeared in front of our side. Hisyaryumon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted Ciel. Ciel then said: "Silent bullet!" and shot at the Eaters four times each. One of the regular Eaters then had waves of data emerge around it, but we saw no immediate effect… the other one then charged into our Digimon and knocked them down with a shockwave. The humanoid Eater then swung its arms at Ciel, which she didn't take too hard. Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, help everyone out! Use guard charge field!" and Ankylomon said: "Guard charge field!" and he boosted everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks.

I then said: "Hisyaryumon, use legendary dragon blade! Target the tallest Eater! Blanc, use divine pierce on one of the other Eaters!" and then Hisyaryumon said: "Legendary dragon blade!" and flew up into the air before he leaned backward and turned into a giant sword and slammed down on the Eater, hard! As he returned to normal, the Eater stayed down—it was finished!

Another regular Eater came forward and replaced the fallen Eater before Ciel said: "Silent bullet!" and shot at the Eaters three times each. Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and she held up her trident and it became electrically charged before she pointed it at an Eater and she sent a beam of electricity at it! The Eater got zapped, but could still fight. Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, get the Eaters! Awesome quake!" and Ankylomon said: "Awesome quake!" and then a giant boulder formed in between the Eaters before it shattered and fragments of the boulder rained down on the Eaters!

One of the Eaters then crackled with electricity and ran into Blanc before it went back to its side. That was obviously a ripping net attack… fortunately, Blanc's protect wave protected our side from any status conditions like the paralysis condition it normally inflicted. Blanc didn't take it too hard either! Another Eater had waves of data emerge around it and the third Eater's eye turned purple and it thrust its tentacles out at Ciel and wrapped them around her, squeezing hard before it retracted them. It looked like it felt a little better after the attack ended.

Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, use tail hammer on an Eater!" and Ankylomon said: "Tail hammer!" and he smashed an Eater with his tail. The Eater fell down and looked dazed though! It was no doubt suffering from the stun status condition that temporarily took it out of commission! One of the other Eaters then charged at our Digimon and knocked them down with a shockwave and the other wrapped its tentacles around Hisyaryumon before retracting them. I then said: "Hisyaryumon, give yourself a boost! Critical charge! Blanc, use divine pierce on an Eater! Ciel, blast one with fury fire!" and Hisyaryumon said: "Critical charge!" and gave himself a boost that helped in identifying enemy weak points. Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and attacked another Eater. Ciel said: "Fury fire!" and shot the Eater Blanc targeted twice.

I then said: "Hisyaryumon, take one of them out! Use legendary dragon blade! Blanc, use divine pierce again! Ciel, use silent bullet!" and then Hisyaryumon said: "Legendary blade!" and he attacked an Eater again, and when he slammed down on the Eater, it took it extra hard before falling down and not getting back up! Another humanoid Eater took its place and Ciel said: "Silent bullet!" And shot them all three times each. Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and zapped another Eater before it went down! Another one took its place as the remaining Eater from before had waves of data emerge around it. Chitose then said: "Ankylomon, use tail hammer on one of the tall ones!" and Ankylomon said: "Tail hammer!" and smacked a humanoid Eater with his tail.

This went on for a while, and as the Eaters' numbers started to dwindle, Ryuji let Cyberdramon join in. This continued until the Eaters were defeated. When that happened, I sighed and said: "Jeez… that was a close one." "Did we get all of them?" Chitose asked. "Well… keep your guard up. You know how these things go: there are usually more than you can see." I said. We all then started to look around before I heard Ryuji say: "CHITOSE!" and I spun in the direction of his voice to see an Eater rushing in at Chitose! Ryuji then dove in and shoved Chitose aside and the Eater grabbed him with its tentacles! "RYUJI!" We said.

We then ran up to him, but then Ryuji said: "No! Just let it eat me! I deserve this! I know it and you know it!" "What are you saying?! You want us to allow it to eat you?!" I asked. Ryuji then said: "Yes… it's not just for what I did. I'm tired of watching everything fall apart! I'm tired of watching my friends and family disappear and being left behind—Ngh!" and the Eater flipped him over to face itself!

Cyberdramon then ran up behind the Eater and started attacking it frantically before Chitose said: "Ankylomon you help too! Use—" but then I said: "No! It's too dangerous at this range—you could hit Ryuji!" "What…?! So what, you're saying we should let it eat him?!" Chitose said. Before I could respond though, I heard Ryuji say: "Good, that's it! Go ahead and do away with me! Do your WOOORRRST!" and our heads immediately turned to see the Eater give Ryuji what looked like a kiss… and Ryuji collapse face-first on the ground! The Eater then turned to us and Chitose started breathing harder before he yelled out and said: "Ankylomon! Get rid of that… that…!" and Ankylomon ran in before he finished his sentence… I then called out my Digimon and we beat the Eater down.

When the Eater fell, Cyberdramon looked furious and kept attacking it, until it was vaporized. I looked around and said: "It looks like the Eaters are gone… we did it…" Chitose then approached Ryuji's body and said: "Ryuji…" before I said: "Chitose… I'm so sorry." Chitose then shook his head and said: "Don't be. It was the Eater who did this to him, not you." He then picked up Ryuji's body and said: "But still… I am not going to leave him for Kishibe! I'm getting him out of here and to Central Hospital!" I nodded and said: "I understand. Then let's go—" and I positioned myself under Ryuji's left arm to lift him as I said: "I'll help you carry him." Chitose smiled and said: "Thanks, buddy…" and he put himself under Ryuji's right arm and I turned to Cyberdramon (who was standing by the data core) and said: "Cyberdramon? Are you coming?" "…You go on ahead, Keisuke, Chitose. I'm going to stay behind and see if I can use this to find a cure to what's afflicted Ryuji." Cyberdramon said.

"What? But even if you do, how will you get to Ryuji then…?" Chitose asked before Cyberdramon said: "I'll get back to his phone—I'm saved to it after all. Don't worry guys—I know what I'm doing." I shook my head and said: "Okay, but be careful, alright?" "Of course. Ryuji taught me all about that!" Cyberdramon said.

Chitose and I then logged out and reported the incident to Central Hospital and the police and went there with Ryuji. Once we arrived, they took Ryuji away on a stretcher and took him up to a higher floor. Chitose and I then waited in the lobby until one of the nurses who took Ryuji up came back down and approached us! When we saw her, Chitose and I got up and Chitose said: "Hey! What is Ryuji's condition?!" "…He's alive, but unfortunately he's fallen victim to EDEN Syndrome…" the nurse replied. "EDEN Syndrome?" I asked.

"It's a condition that is sometimes contracted in cyberspaces like EDEN. When someone is a sufferer of EDEN Syndrome, they fall into a comatose state—" the nurse began and then I said: "WHAT? For how long?" "…Indefinitely." The nurse replied. "WHAT?! So Ryuji's never going to wake up?!" I asked. "…We are working night and day to find a cure to EDEN Syndrome. But we haven't succeeded yet and there has never been a case of someone waking up who has it yet. So until we find a cure… it is more than likely he won't ever wake up." The nurse answered. I looked down and said: "Ugh…" "I'm sorry. We will continue to endeavor to cure your friend, so please be patient…" the nurse said.

She then walked off and Chitose finally shook his head as he said: "This is so terrible…" and then he said: "Ryuji…!" before I said: "Yeah… but that's only the tip of the iceberg." Chitose then turned to me and said: "Huh? What do you mean?" "Erika. How are we going to explain this to her?" I asked. Chitose then looked despondent before he said: "Shit, you're right… when she hears Ryuji's as good as dead… she'll be crushed."

We then sighed and made our way back to Hudie without Ryuji… when we made it back, we walked up the stairs into Hudie and stopped before we heard a: "Oh! I see you're back!" and we looked up to see Erika walking up to us. She actually looked happy right now and when she got in closer range, she smiled and said: "Thank you for stopping Ryuji, Chitose, Keisuke…" Chitose and I then looked down and we soon heard Erika say (with the cheer gone from her voice): "…What? What's the matter? I've never seen either of you look so miserable…" "…Erika… there's something we need to tell you…" I said.

We then recounted the whole story to Erika. By the end, she looked completely crestfallen and said: "So Ryuji has EDEN Syndrome…" "…Yeah." Chitose said. "Erika… I'm so sorry." I said. Erika then looked up and sounded moody as she said: "What are you apologizing for?! There's nothing more you could have done!" and then there was a pause before Erika shut her eyes and opened them (and her voice was shaking) as she said: "Well, ah, a-actually… I just remembered something I need to work on… excuse me…" and I thought I heard her sniffling as she ran to her office… "…Poor Erika. She's the real victim in all this." Chitose said. "You said it. We need to be there for her now more than ever…" I said.

From there, I decided to take a break and go to the Digilab. I greeted Mirei when I arrived and I checked to see if any of my Digimon could digivolve… and saw Dorugamon could! At least this was some good news! I then called him out and when he appeared, I said: "Dorugamon, I've got some great news for you—you're ready to digivolve now!" and when he heard this, he smiled and said: "Great! Then let's make it happen!" and I nodded and digivolved him into a DoruGreymon—he looked like a cross between a long-necked dinosaur and a dragon and walked on four legs. He had red skin with black stripes and white feet, a white underbelly and a white neck from the front, as well as a white snout. He had a long tail, four gray dragon-like wings, white hair, two big, pointed ears, a red symbol like an upside-down triangle on his forehead, a bladed nose tusk and gray horns behind his ears. He was massively tall at 14'8 tall.

When the process finished, I said: "Congratulations, DoruGreymon! You're doing a great job!" and he smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke. I know the road to my dreams is still a long one, but I'll keep on working until I get there!" When I heard this, I smiled and said: "Your dreams? What are those, may I ask?" DoruGreymon then looked a little self-conscious before he said: "Of course you can. Well my dream… is to become a hero someday."

Hearing this made me feel even more connected to him. It was like listening to myself, in a way… that was why I wanted to help him achieve that dream! I then smiled and said: "I know you will someday, DoruGreymon. Don't worry—I'll help you get there." DoruGreymon then grinned and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. I'm glad to have someone so reliable for a tamer. Don't worry about me, though—I know we'll get strong together." I smiled and said: "You're right about that! It's only a matter of time!" and we smiled before I called him back. From there, it was back to work training and watching the BBS for cases…

That went on for a few days until I walked into Hudie one day and sat down at a cubicle. I was about to check the BBS, when I heard a: "Keisuke." And I turned around to see it was Erika. "Good morning, Erika. How can I help you?" I asked. "I want to talk to you in my office. Could you come in whenever you have time?" Erika asked. "Sure. Let me just log out and I'll be right there." I said. Erika nodded and said: "Thank you. I'll see you then." And she turned around and went back to her office. I then logged out and followed Erika in suit, before I knocked on the door and Erika said: "Come in." and I entered. She then turned around and I said: "Alright, I've arrived. So what is it?"

"…I wanted to talk to you about something important, Keisuke." Erika said. "Okay, I'm all ears." I said back. Erika then smiled for the first time in days before she said: "Thank you… well, ever since Ryuji was effectively murdered at Under Zero, I haven't been able to calm down… I feel moody all the time now and I'm not sleeping very well either… it's taking a lot of strength to keep myself from taking it out on you, Chitose or Yuri…" and then I said: "Erika, we're all here for you, no matter what. You can always come to us if you need any help."

"…I hope so." Erika said. I felt confused as she went on: "Still, I'm glad you said that, because that brings me to my next point a lot more easily." "Huh?" I said. "There's something I have to do, but… it's going to be very dangerous. That's why I want to ask for your help, but… it's okay if you say no." Erika said. "What are you talking about…? What is it?" I asked. "…After what happened to Ryuji, I need revenge. I want to go after Kishibe and make her pay. Of course, if you agree to help me, you're going to be taking on Kamishiro itself, which is a huge responsibility for anyone… and an uphill battle. Can I ask for your help?" Erika asked.

"Well… okay. I've already said I'll make your wishes come true, so I guess there's no sense stopping now!" I said. "Keisuke…" Erika said before she suddenly reached over and hugged me and went on: "Thank you! I'm so glad I can count on you." I then hugged her back and said: "No problem. But taking on Kamishiro is going to be a tall order for two people… have you tried asking Chitose and Yuri?"

Erika then let go and said: "Of course I did. And they both said they would help. So now it's going to be all of Hudie versus Kamishiro. And I intend to win!" "We've all got your back, Erika. You can count on us to do our best!" I said. Erika smiled again and said: "Great, because that's exactly what I need." And then she went on: "So in addition to checking the BBS for cases and working on your hacking, I want you to dig up dirt about Kamishiro—anything we can use to our advantage to get back at Kishibe." "Understood! Leave it to me!" I said. Erika then grinned and said: "I'll do just that. Now go for it!"

And I nodded and went back to the cubicle and started researching Kamishiro instead. It was going to take time, I'm sure… but I was determined to help Erika.


	35. Simon: An order of destruction

Simon Chapter 18—An order of destruction—

The next day, I went back into the office and Kyoko looked up as she said: "Good morning, Simon." "Good morning, Kyoko. Have any new cases come in today?" I asked. "Not yet… still, I'm sure something will come up after the Under Zero incident, so be patient—it's only a matter of time." Kyoko said. "Sure thing!" I said. I then left the office and walked back out.

I guess that leaves the matter of deciding what I'm going to do again… but just then I felt my phone ring! I picked it up and said: "Hello?" I then heard Nokia say: "Hi Simon! Do you have a minute?" "I sure do. What's up?" I asked. "Omnimon wanted to talk to us in the hall of heroes. He said he had something important to tell us." Nokia replied. "Something important? Like what?" I asked. "I have no idea. Omnimon said he wouldn't talk about it until we were both there…" Nokia said. "Huh…" I said. "It is a little unlike him to say the least, but… I guess that makes it all the more important! So hurry on over!" Nokia said. "Sure thing! I'm on my way." I said.

We then hung up and I headed straight to the fourth floor where I logged into the hall of heroes. When I arrived, I spotted Omnimon and Nokia ahead… but no one else was here. Nokia waved and I came forward and when I closed in, I said: "Hi Nokia, hi Omnimon. Where are the others? Have they not arrived yet?" "There isn't going to be anyone else coming, Simon… it's just you and Nokia." Omnimon said. "Huh?" I asked. Omnimon then went on: "I'm sorry if this seems unusual Simon, but you two are the only ones I trust enough to disclose what I'm going to say to." "What do you mean? What is this all about?" I asked.

"Well to explain that, I'm going to have to explain something else first, which is that even though it looks like it, this isn't the first time I've been an Omnimon." Omnimon said. "Huh? You've digivolved to this level before, Omnimon?" Nokia asked. "Yes… long ago, when I was still living in the Digital World. But before I continue… do you both know what the Digital World is?" Omnimon asked. "It's the world where all Digimon come to Earth from, right?" I asked. "Exactly right! You're good." Omnimon said. "Um… well I know _now_ , anyway." Nokia said.

We all then laughed together before Omnimon went on: "Well anyway, it wasn't long after I assumed that form that I became a member of the Royal Knights in the Digital World—"and then I said: "The Royal Knights?" "Yes. We are sworn protectors of the Digital World, working under the command of King Drasil, the host computer that created the Digital World." Omnimon said. "So this 'King Drasil' was the one who was ultimately responsible for the creation of Digimon then? I'd like to thank him someday…" I said. "Me too! If it weren't for him, then we'd never have met, Omnimon!" Nokia said. Omnimon then smiled and said: "That's just like you both. But that being said, the Royal Knights all answer to King Drasil and do whatever is necessary to protect the Digital World. Now I'm sure you're wondering how I de-digivolved back to Agumon and Gabumon and the answer to that lies in what I was going to tell you… I remembered what I forgot when I came here, which is what I was doing coming to Earth."

"Okay… so what was that, Omnimon?" Nokia asked. "I was trying to assess the situation with regard to Eaters here in the network that you call 'EDEN'." Omnimon said. "Why were you trying to do that?" I asked. Omnimon appeared to be hesitating for a moment before Nokia said: "What? What is it?" "…The Digital World… it has been overrun by Eaters." Omnimon said.

"WHAT?! That's… so horrible…" Nokia said. "So the Eaters… they've been jumping through EDEN to the Digital World just as you Digimon have been doing to access EDEN…" I said. "Exactly. Our world is threatened by Eaters right now. They've swarmed it." Omnimon said. "So it's our fault… that your world is threatened?" Nokia asked. Omnimon then turned to Nokia and said: "Nokia!" before he went on: "I don't believe we can conclusively say anything. All we know is that Eaters are getting into the Digital World from Earth. That's all we know—we can't prove anything about where they live, in how many worlds they exist or how they're made… we Digimon know very little about them, all things considered."

Then he continued: "Of course, the problem did not escape King Drasil's attention. He traced the Eaters back to the EDEN network in your world and so judged that something must be done to stop the Eaters from coming to our world." "Well, I suppose I can see a few solutions… so what did King Drasil decide?" I asked. "King Drasil was not the one to come up with the solution… it was a Royal Knight named Leopardmon who had the idea. Leopardmon's idea was effectively… to destroy Earth." Omnimon said.

"WHAT?!" Nokia and I said. "Yes… that was his plan. Destroy the world and everything on it to stop the Eaters from arriving. No more Earth, no more Eaters. No more Eaters, no more problems…" Omnimon said. "And… what did King Drasil say?" Nokia asked. "He approved it. So the Royal Knights have already begun to carry out their plan to destroy Earth. They called it the 'Paradise Lost' plan." Omnimon said.

"But Omnimon… if you're a royal knight, why are you sharing this information with us?" I asked. "I was against the Paradise Lost plan—as were a few of my fellow Royal Knights—and so I came to Earth to try and judge what the problem really was. I couldn't get through as I was, because I took up too much memory to pass through, so I split myself into Agumon and Gabumon in order to get in. But I lost my memories in the process, which cost me a lot of valuable time…" Omnimon said. And then he went on: "But anyway, I don't believe it is King Drasil's will to destroy Earth. So I'm trying to warn you of what will be coming."

And then he continued: "Listen carefully… the leaders of the Royal Knights who are going to be attacking are Crusadermon and Leopardmon. They are planning a surprise attack and will be bringing an army of Digimon of all levels and ages to destroy your world." "But… how are they going to accomplish anything? I mean, Digimon can't exist outside of cyberspace…" Nokia said. "Can you really think of nothing they could use?" Omnimon asked. "The digital waves…" I said. Omnimon then pointed one of his arms at me and said: "Exactly. They are planning to cause a massive scale digital wave over the planet with Tokyo as its focal point and arrive ready to attack."

Omnimon then went on: "I don't know how they intend to do it, but I need to work fast and I was hoping I could count on you to help." "Leave it to me, Omnimon! I'm your tamer and you can always count on me!" Nokia said. "I'm in too. After all, I'd hate for it to come to humans and Digimon having to start fighting each other…" I said. "Nokia… Simon…" Omnimon said before he went on: "Thank you both. Of course, it won't be easy. We have to start by figuring out how they are planning to carry out the plan and who will be doing it—" and then I said: "We already know that. It's Kamishiro who's behind it—Rie Kishibe intends to carry out the Paradise Lost plan."

Omnimon then immediately turned to me and said: "WHAT?! Simon, how do you know that?!" "We recently infiltrated Kamishiro and hacked that data. It wasn't easy, but we found it in a difficult-to-access spot." I said. Omnimon then smiled and said: "That's fantastic! That's a major success for our side! Now that we know who the enemy is and what they intend to do, all we need is a way to stop it! Since Kishibe is creating digital waves all over Tokyo, we just need something that could stop her from making them… like causing a massive power outage!" "A power outage?" Nokia said. "Well think about it—Kishibe has been using computers to create digital waves, and computers need electricity to operate at all. If we could turn off the power in Tokyo until we can catch and corner Kishibe, we could bring her in and then restore the power to prevent a disaster." Omnimon said.

Nokia then grinned and said: "That's great! Omnimon, you're a genius!" "True. It's simple, but a direct approach and guaranteed to work—I think we may have our plan here." I said. Omnimon then smiled and I went on: "I have some friends who I think may be willing to help. I'll leave and check with them before I report back." "Thank you, Simon. I look forward to hearing from you soon!" Omnimon said.

I then logged out and prepared to go to Kyoko's office… only to find that I got a phone call from her! I answered it and said: "Hello?" and Kyoko said: "Hi Simon. We finally have a new case in and this one is pretty serious. The client's here now, so I'll need you to drop what you're doing and come to the office, alright?" "Sure thing! I'm on my way, Kyoko!" I said.

I then hurried back to the office and opened it to find Kyoko… and Fei! "Fei?" I said. She then turned to me and said: "Hey…" "So you submitted a case? How can we help?" I asked. "I'll get straight to the point. It's Yuuko…" Fei said and then I suddenly felt full of dread and said: "Oh god… please don't tell me she was a victim of the Eaters!" "No, she was kidnapped!" Fei said back.

"WHAT?" I said. Fei shook her head and said: "Let me back up—as you can see, I was one of very few people to escape Under Zero unscathed. Luckily, Yuuko escaped the Eaters too… but not Kamishiro. They came in and abducted her, taking her off to who-knows-where…" She then looked down and clenched her fists and said: "I hate them! I hate knowing that my Digimon were too weak to stop them because I played into their hands… I hate knowing there was nothing I could do to protect my friend from being kidnapped! It was all I could do to try and find someone strong enough to help me save Yuuko while I hated those Kamishiro scum from afar." I then put my hand on Fei's shoulder (and she immediately looked up) as I said: "I'm sorry, Fei. I understand you being worried too, but don't worry—we'll get this job done." "Well of course! Yuuko's been my best friend for years—" Fei began, but then she stopped and said: "Wait a minute—what do you mean, 'too'?"

Suddenly my face felt hot somehow and I didn't say anything… Fei then grinned and said: "Oh, so you care about Yuuko, huh? Hee-hee… I wonder what I can expect you to do when we find her? Maybe it's Yuuko I should be looking out for, to make sure you're not trying to lock lips with her when I'm not looking." Now I was starting to lose my patience at her teasing. I crossed my arms and said: "How much longer do you intend to go off on a tangent? I mean, weren't you just saying how worried you were about Yuuko?" Fei laughed before she said: "I was just pulling your leg, don't take it so seriously." She then went on: "Anyway, I followed them as stealthily as I could and I heard them saying something about going to the Roppongi underground research lab, so that's our destination. The first part would be discovering where that is—" Fei began and then I said: "That's not necessary." "Huh? Why's that?" Fei asked. "We already know how to get to it." I said.

Fei then grinned and said: "Really? I'm glad you were my first choice of an agency to visit, then!" "Glad to hear it. Even so, I can't imagine this will be easy… did you hear anything else that could be of use to us when you were following them, Fei?" I asked. "Hmm… well, they did say something about a 'paradise lost', whatever that means—" Fei began, but as soon as I heard this, I stopped listening. If kidnapping Yuuko was related to the paradise lost plan, then we'll need more people to handle this than just us two…

Finally, Fei said: "What? What is it?" "…If what you say is true, this may be more serious than I had thought." I said. "Huh? Why?" Fei asked. "I discovered the reference they were talking about recently… the Paradise Lost plan—as it is fully known—is a plan that could destroy our world." I said. "HUH? So how does Yuuko fit in all this?" Fei asked. "Unfortunately, I don't know. But the point is, this mission is a serious one and we'll need more than just you or me to rescue Yuuko. With your permission Fei, I'd like to bring in two of my friends to help with this case." I said. "I don't care if you need to bring a hundred friends! If it'll help save Yuuko, I'll go along with it!" Fei said. "Great. Then let me get in touch with them…" I said.

I then called Nokia and Arata and asked if they could meet us at Nakano and (very luckily) they both could! We then waited until Arata and Nokia arrived and when they walked in, Arata said: "Hey Simon. What's—" and then he eyed Fei before he said: "Whoa! What's she doing here?" "Hmph. And hello to you too, Arata." Fei said. She then went on: "I can see Yuuko and I were making a mistake at Under Zero after all—" and then Arata angrily said: "You're damn right about that! If it weren't for you two, no one would have gotten EDEN Syndrome!"

Kyoko then stood up and said: "Calm down, you two! Even though you've quarreled recently, I think it's about time you called a truce—this is a serious mission." Arata looked down while Fei looked away and eventually they both said: "Fine." At the same time. Nokia looked uneasy and I said: "Sorry about calling you both here so soon, Nokia and Arata, but as Kyoko said, this is serious business—the Paradise Lost plan may be about to get started." "WHAT?!" Nokia said while Arata said: "You mean that plan Kishibe had to connect the Digital World to Earth? Why is she starting it now?" "It might have to do with her kidnapping Yuuko. Let me explain…" I said.

I then retold Fei's story and what I knew about the Paradise Lost plan from the hack on Kamishiro and from what Omnimon had told us. By the end of it all, Arata looked shocked and Fei said: "So they're trying to destroy the world… and they're going to use Yuuko to do it?! Why those little…!" and then Nokia said: "All the same, this is really, really serious stuff. Now let's see…" and then she went on: "Omnimon said we should cause a massive power outage to stop the Paradise Lost plan… so we'd need someone to do that while the other party is rescuing Yuuko—"

"You leave that to me." Arata said. "Arata, are you sure? There are a lot of power plants that would need to go offline." I said. Arata then turned to me and said: "Don't worry about me, Simon—I may not look it, but I'm an awesome hacker. And I have some friends I can ask for help with some of them." Arata said. I then smiled and said: "That's true. You are an awesome hacker, especially given that you led the Judes—" and then Arata sighed and said: "…You're still thinking about that, huh?" Nokia chuckled and said: "Take it as a compliment, Arata."

"Okay, so we've got someone to cut the power, and that leaves Simon and me to rescue Yuuko and take down anything in our way. That's easy enough—" Fei began and then Nokia said: "Hey! Don't forget about me! Omnimon and I are eager to help stop this Paradise Lost plan too, you know!" Fei then nodded and said: "Sure. I can't say I'm opposed to having greater numbers on our side—that'll only help."

Kyoko then said: "Okay, so now we've got our two parties with their objectives defined." She then turned to Arata and said: "Go on ahead and get ready to cut the power, Arata. Just be sure to proceed quickly—we're counting on you." "You don't need to worry about that, Kyoko." Arata said. Kyoko then turned to us and said: "And it looks like our rescue team is ready to go, too. Simon, would you show them to the Nakano Underpass?" "You bet!" I said. "Good. Then you'd best be off, everyone—time is of the essence now!" Kyoko said. We all nodded and went off. Arata left Nakano, while I took Fei and Nokia to the Nakano Underpass.

When we arrived, I opened the gateway and revealed the digital shift ahead. When Nokia saw it, she said: "Whoa! Just look at how unreal this is… this is surreal!" "Yes… this is a special kind of digital wave known as a 'digital shift'. Digimon can appear here and wherever there is a digital shift, there is an Eater as well, so make sure to watch your back." I said. "Wh-whoa! So those monsters from Kowloon will be here too?" Nokia said. I nodded and then Fei said: "Fine. Bring 'em! I'm ready to take on anything that comes through here! Now let's get going!"

We both nodded and started making our way through the Nakano Underpass. Eventually, we made it back to the Roppongi underground research lab with all of its machinery… where we saw Yuuko strapped down (both by her wrists and ankles) in a chair with a circular headpiece with electrodes over her head! Rie was also next to Yuuko, typing on a keyboard over a screen of data. I turned to look at Fei and saw she was experiencing tremors, doubtlessly from the rage she was feeling… Rie then said: "There! All done, Yuuko, my dear! Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" The headpiece then came off Yuuko and Yuuko turned her head to the side and said: "Uhhhh…" before she turned back to Rie and said: "Just what has gotten into you?! We used to get along so well, Rie, but lately you've been such a— " and then Fei yelled: "YUUKO!"

We all then ran in as Rie turned around (and Yuuko turned to face us) and Rie said: "Well, well, look who's back from the dead… it's that Zaxon second banana and those kids who knew better." While Yuuko said: "Fei! Simon! Nokia!" Fei then approached her and said: "Let her go right now, you eel!" Rie then frowned and said: "Watch your language, you brat!" and then she went on: "Don't worry—I'll be happy to let her go, since I've already extracted the last piece!" "You… what do you mean 'extracted'?!" Fei asked.

"Hee-hee… it was simply a backstage pass to her memories. Believe it or not, there was one in there that I needed, so I took a peek and I got it." Rie said. "Why you…!" Fei yelled and she ran at Rie, who looked perfectly calm. Fei then tried to grab Rie, but Rie reached in and grabbed Fei's arm first and threw her away! When Fei rose, Rie said: "Hee-hee… you fight like a second banana too." "Grr! Do not push me, old woman!" Fei yelled. "Ha ha… Yes, you taunt me like that now… but in a few moments, you're going wish you hadn't." Rie said. She then stepped back and started typing on the screen again before she stopped and smiled with a very wide, evil grin.

"You… what did you just do?!" Nokia asked. But then something surprising happened: our Digimon all appeared next to us! "What?! Omnimon?!" Nokia asked and I said: "I don't get this… we didn't call them out before because there was nothing here… but now they were forced to appear?" Rie then laughed and said: "You fools! They weren't 'forced to appear' by anything! They merely came out where they can exist now, that's all." "But that's just because of the digital shift covering this area and making real world space digital, right?" Nokia asked. Rie giggled and could barely stop herself from erupting into laughter at this point…

"What? What is so funny?" I asked. "You're speaking as if real world space and digital space are separate, and there was a time when that was true… but no longer! Everywhere on this planet is now digital space! I have just rewritten the laws of all matter! I have just made the impossible happen!" Rie said. "Then you mean…?!" Nokia said and Rie said: "YES! The Paradise Lost plan was a success!" Rie then went on: "And now that that has been done, I can finally leave this weak, frail body I had to seize in order to carry this out—" and then Yuuko said: "What?!" and Rie went on: "I hope you're all ready, because you're about to get more than you bargained for!"

And then pink light surrounded her before it engulfed her and expanded outward… and when it was gone, a Digimon was standing where Rie was! She was humanoid and walked on two legs. She wore magenta and pink leg armor with gold knee armor. She had pink armor around her hips and a magenta and pink breastplate that showed her midriff. She had pink arm armor that went from finger to halfway up her bicep. She had a gold shield with a purple cross attached to her left arm and magenta pauldrons on her shoulders with gold ribbons around them. She had a pink helm like a bird's head with a pointed beak above her mouth and she had gold feathers on either side of the top of her helm. She had whitish-gray skin and looked 6'8 tall.

"What the hell?! She was a Digimon, all along?!" Fei said. Omnimon then stepped forward and said: "Crusadermon! To think you had entered a human's body all this time…!" and then the Digimon laughed and said: "Yes, it wasn't easy finding a vacant body… but I'm glad I kept looking." She then went on: "But it's good to see you again Omnimon, my proud and gallant fellow Royal Knight!" Omnimon then grimaced and Crusadermon then turned to Scott and said: "And Gallantmon! It's so good to see you too! I'm surprised you were with a human, but I do hope you've been well."

I then looked at Scott (who was staring Crusadermon down) before he said: "…I can see why you'd confuse me with Gallantmon of the Royal Knights… but you're wrong. I'm not him. I'm an ordinary Digimon who worked hard and advanced to this level with the help of my tamer." "Wh-what?! You… you're not Gallantmon?! You're really just an ordinary Digimon… who…?!" Crusadermon said and Scott said: "That's right. And I have a name, it's Scott."

Crusadermon then said: "I'm not sure I can believe it… no Digimon has digivolved into a Gallantmon in centuries… and to think that you've been so domesticated and groomed by a human that you would answer to a common name! You are such a pitiful poser!" and then she turned to Omnimon and went on: "Now then, you're doubtlessly aware of our Paradise Lost plan and King Drasil's approval of it… so in order to serve our king, why don't you join me in eradicating these stupid humans? It'll be just like old times!"

Omnimon then shouted: "Shut up!" at Crusadermon and Crusadermon then said: "What?!" before Omnimon went on: "Let's be clear on one thing… I don't take orders from you, Crusadermon. I serve King Drasil… and I do not believe it is his will that Earth and the humans be destroyed!" Crusadermon then looked furious and said: "Blasphemy! King Drasil himself approved the plan! It is your duty as a Royal Knight to kill those human fools behind you!" "What did I just say?! I don't take orders from you, Crusadermon." Omnimon said. "So you would dare to betray our king and our world… and for what? A bunch of fools whose irresponsibility brought our world to its knees…?!" Crusadermon asked.

"Why must you continue to blame humanity? It's not their fault that the Eaters exploited the very same channels we used to enter Earth." Omnimon said. "What… what did you say?!" Crusadermon asked. "You heard me. There is no need to repeat myself." Omnimon said. Crusadermon then said: "I have never seen such idiotic insubordination…! Very well. Then out of fealty for my king, I will destroy you too! It will be an act of mercy!" "Very well, then come at me! I do not fear you, Crusadermon!" Omnimon said.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it and it said: "Crusadermon scan data: ERROR." I was surprised to see that my phone couldn't scan her data, although I guess that has to do with her being a royal knight…at least it said Crusadermon was a virus Digimon, so I called back everyone but Jason, Pepper and Zephyr and we came forward and I said: "We'll help too!" Omnimon then turned to us and said: "I hadn't meant to get you wrapped up in all of this… but that's fine by me! This is no time to be taking chances!" "Exactly, Omnimon!" Nokia said. We all then turned to Crusadermon and she said: "Hmph. I feel sorry for those impressionable Digimon you've enlisted… but that's okay. I'll free them soon enough!"

I then said: "Pepper, give yourself a boost, attack charge! Zephyr, use mirror reflection!" and Pepper said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks. Zephyr then said: "Mirror reflection!" and prepared to strike back against any magic attacks. Nokia then said: "Omnimon, use holy light 3!" and Omnimon said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light emerge where Crusadermon was! She took it pretty hard too before she recovered and said: "Spiral masquerade!" and she started to float before she flew in circles around Omnimon and made the ribbons around her armor extend and strike at him! After she landed a few hits, she went back to where she had stood before. Jason then said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked Crusadermon as Omnimon had.

Nokia then said: "Get her back for that, Omnimon! Supreme cannon!" and Omnimon said: "Supreme cannon!" and then Omnimon pointed his arm with the head like MetalGarurumon's at Crusadermon before the mouth opened, revealing a small cannon! It then fired a cannonball at Crusadermon and knocked her over! She got up though and then she said: "Hell crusher 3!" and made four groups of purplish-pink wisps spun around Pepper, Jason, Zephyr and Omnimon and they crashed into them! As soon as the attack concluded, Zephyr immediately flew over to Crusadermon and kicked her with his talons before he flew back and I said: "Pepper, blast Crusadermon with a giga destroyer! Zephyr, give her a taste of your savage emperor! Jason, use wind cutter sword!" Jason then said: "Wind cutter sword!" and he charged straight at Crusadermon and rammed his horn into her three times before he leapt out of the way and Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and shot missiles from the plate on his chest at Crusadermon. Zephyr then said: "Savage emperor!" and flew up higher before he blasted Crusadermon with a beam of light, which she took pretty hard!

Crusadermon then said: "Spiral masquerade!" and this time attacked Jason before I said: "Pepper, use acceleration boost! Jason, give her a holy light 3!" and Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. Jason then said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked Crusadermon with it. Nokia said: "Omnimon, hit Crusadermon with a saint knuckle 3!" and Omnimon said: "Saint knuckle 3!" and his arm with the head like WarGreymon's began to glow before he flew over and hit Crusadermon with a back fist! Zephyr then said: "Savage emperor!" and blasted Crusadermon with another beam of light.

Crusadermon then said: "Hell crusher 3!" and made the wisps of darkness surround our Digimon again and hurt them before Zephyr once again swooped at Crusadermon and kicked her with his talons before flying back. As soon as Zephyr was out of the way, Nokia said: "Alright Omnimon, give her another supreme cannon!" and Omnimon said: "Supreme cannon!" and shot Crusadermon with a cannonball. I then said: "Alright everyone, give her all you've got! Pepper, use giga destroyer! Zephyr, use savage emperor! Jason, use holy light 3!" Zephyr then said: "Savage emperor!" and blasted Crusadermon with a beam of light before Jason said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked her with another shining, exploding cross and Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and he shot missiles at Crusadermon! The force of all three attacks knocked Crusadermon flat on her back!

Crusadermon then rose and said: "Ha ha ha! You all have some serious spunk! Well, we will end this later, mark my words!" and then she teleported away! "Argh! That conniving…!" Fei began before she said: "She got away!" I frowned when I heard this and said: "That's the least of our concerns right now! If the Paradise Lost plan actually succeeded as she said it did, all life on Earth may cease to exist soon!" "Yeah… if that happened… it'll be horrible." Nokia said.

But then we saw something surprising: Yuuko's eyes suddenly widened and she was struggling to get out of the chair she was bound to! "Yuuko? What is it?!" Fei asked. We then turned around and saw: it was the Eater! It flew at her and closed it before it smothered her and pulled her towards itself—and then there was a flash of light!

When we could see again, the Eater had changed—now it was a four-legged Eater with a giant eye in the middle of its head and a horn in front of the eye—and Yuuko was somehow bound to it! When Fei saw this, she yelled: "YUUKO!" but Yuuko didn't respond… I saw her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving (outside of being moved by the Eater swaying its horn, of course) Fei then called out her TigerVespamon, along with two other Digimon… one was a humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs. She had a full-body black suit on and had yellow, lightweight-looking armor over her chest, as well as yellow rounded shoulder armor that looked huge. She had a black belt with a yellow belt buckle that looked like a fox's head, as well as purple long gloves and purple boots with yin yang symbols over her toes. She had a yellow helmet over her head that covered her eyes and looked like a fox's head (and her face had skin that looked like real human skin). She had very long white hair that was bound into two ponytails that went down to her ankles. She held a gold staff with a ring at the top and had what looked like yellow fairy wings on her back, although they were down and weren't moving. She looked 5'7 tall.

The other was a giant yellow bird Digimon with a gray underbelly. She had gray talons with gold shackle-like rings around them and had an orange mask over her face. She had feathers behind her head that were yellow, but then turned red and finally purple as they got further away from the back of her head (there were also feathers down her back of the same colors). She had four massive yellow wings and very long yellow and red tail feathers. She looked 7'2 tall.

Fei then said: "Alright everyone! Make that thing pay! Show no mercy!" and I stepped forward and said: "We'll help too!" and I called back Pepper, Jason and Zephyr and called out Scott, Gil and Sabrina. Fei looked at me and I saw her grin as she said: "Thanks, pal…" that was the first time she had treated me as a friend and not an acquaintance, and for Fei to do that… that was something.

Nonetheless, I said: "Scott, use lightning joust! Sabrina, use mental charge on yourself!" and Scott said: "Lightning joust!" and his lance became electrically charged before he flew at the Eater and thrust his lance into it! Sabrina then followed up by saying: "Mental charge!" and boosted her damage output with magic attacks and her damage resistance to magic attacks. Fei then said: "TigerVespamon, use status barrier on yourself! Sakuyamon, do the same! Hououmon, use power energy 3 on that monster!" and TigerVespamon said: "Status barrier!" and she made a purple barrier form in front of herself, although I saw no immediate effect… the Digimon in the yellow armor—Sakuyamon—then said: "Status barrier!" and also cast the same spell on herself. The giant bird Digimon—Hououmon—then said: "Power energy 3!" and made an explosion of gray energy envelop the Eater! The Eater then cast a spell on itself, although I saw no immediate effect either… Gil then said: "Wind claw 3!" and flew over to the Eater and raked it with his claws.

Fei then said: "TigerVespamon, use victory stinger mark 5! Hououmon, use status barrier on yourself! Sakuyamon, give that Digimon… err… Scott… a status barrier!" Hououmon then said: "Status barrier!" and cast another purple barrier in front of herself. Sakuyamon then said: "Status barrier!" and cast a purple barrier in front of Scott. TigerVespamon then said: "Victory stinger mark 5!" and leapt at the Eater and thrust her lances at it too fast for my eyes to follow before she flew away. The Eater then made a leaf come down in between our Digimon and then many more leaves erupted from the ground and hit our Digimon before a dome of green energy came up and hit them too. I then said: "Scott, use lightning joust again! Gil, keep up your wind claw 3! Sabrina, use talisman of light!" Scott and Gil then repeated their last attacks while Sabrina said: "Talisman of light!" and she conjured a giant paint brush which she used to draw a Japanese character and then she swung it at the character, sending it flying at the Eater! The Eater didn't seem to take it too hard though…

The Eater then repeated the same attack it used last time while Fei said: "TigerVespamon, give it another victory stinger mark 5! Sakuyamon, use holy light 3! Hououmon, use power energy 3!" and Hououmon caused another explosion of gray energy to envelop the Eater while Sakuyamon attacked with a shining, exploding cross of light. TigerVespamon also leapt at the Eater and thrust her lances at it. I had Scott and Gil attack as they had last time and had Sabrina cast another mental charge on herself, seeing as how her last magic attack hadn't done very much.

The Eater then lifted its horn up and white light streamed from behind it as it swung the horn down, seemingly cutting a rift in the air, which then expanded and caused light to come out and hit our Digimon! The rift then disappeared and our Digimon all took it pretty hard—and Gil and Sabrina fell forward and started sleeping! "Gil? Sabrina? Was that… a sleep status condition…?" I asked. "It sure looks that way." Fei said back. "Huh… I wonder why it only worked on them?" I asked. Fei then chuckled and said: "That's the power of a status barrier—it stops any status condition—or a stat cut—from working!" "Wow… that's great! Thanks for using those then, Fei!" I said. "Sure, no problem. Judging by what this thing can do, it looks like I'd better recast those soon too…" Fei said.

She then went on: "TigerVespamon, Sakuyamon, Hououmon! Attack as you did again!" and they did so before I said: "Scott, use lightning joust!" and he rammed his lance into the Eater. The Eater then cast another spell on itself before Fei had her Digimon all cast a status barrier on themselves and Scott attacked with lightning joust while Sabrina and Gil continued dozing. The Eater then attacked with the dome of leaves again before it knocked out Gil and Sabrina! "Gil? Sabrina?" I said. Gil then said: "Ahh… that thing packs a punch…" "Keep on going Simon. I know you can do it…" Sabrina said. I nodded and called them back before I sent in Elena and Zephyr.

Fei then said: "Alright everyone! Cast status barrier on Simon's Digimon!" and they did so before I said: "Scott, use lightning joust again! Zephyr, use savage emperor! Elena, give it a heavy strike 3!" and Scott and Zephyr attacked before Elena said: "Heavy strike 3!" and she went up to the Eater and swung her sword at its side, away from Yuuko. The Eater then went up to Scott and thrust one of its legs at him before moving away.

I then said: "Alright Scott, give everyone a guard charge field! Zephyr and Elena, use savage emperor and heavy strike 3 again!" and Zephyr and Elena did so while Scott said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell on everyone that boosted their damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Fei then had her Digimon attack with the attacks they'd been using and then the Eater once again drew its horn back and opened another rift which hit our Digimon hard! Zephyr even went down from it! I called him back and sent in Pepper before Fei said: "Argh, it keeps getting stronger and stronger…" and the Eater cast another spell on itself before Fei said: "I'd have to imagine that that must be affecting its damage output… which would mean…" and then she went on: "TigerVespamon, hit that thing with victory stinger mark 5! Sakuyamon, use amethyst mandala! Hououmon, give his MetalGreymon a status barrier!" and Hououmon did so before TigerVespamon attacked and then Sakuyamon said: "Amethyst mandala!" and she swung her staff around before a magic circle formed on the ground beneath her and flower petals went flying into the air as a dome of energy formed around her and shot outward!

The Eater looked knocked off balance from the attack and Fei said: "Ha! That'll teach you!" and I said: "What do you mean?" before Fei turned to me and said: "Since this thing keeps getting stronger, I judged it must be boosting some kind of damage output for its attacks. So I had Sakuyamon use her amethyst mandala—the nice thing is, her amethyst mandala has the power to get rid of most kinds of attribute boosts an enemy can make, and that includes any that can improve their damage output or damage resistance. So now it's weaker and should be more manageable." I then smiled and said: "That's brilliant! Good work, Fei!" Fei grinned and I turned back to the battle before I said: "Scott, get 'em with lightning joust! Pepper, use attack charge on yourself! Elena, use heavy strike 3!" and Scott and Elena attacked while Pepper said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks. The Eater then thrust its leg at Sakuyamon this time before it went back.

Fei had all three of her Digimon attack again while I said: "Pepper, time to get primed! Acceleration boost! Scott, Elena, get ready to block!" and Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. The Eater then attacked with the leaf dome.

My Digimon were really starting to look worn out (and even Fei's were too), so I said: "Scott, use lightning joust! Elena, use heavy strike 3! Pepper, use giga destroyer!" and Scott and Elena got in and struck the Eater before Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and launched missiles at the Eater… and that was all it took! It wobbled in place and collapsed after the attack!

When it was over, we all went up to the Eater. It couldn't move, but Yuuko was still bound to it… Fei then started to look frustrated before she said: "Argh! Why won't she come off…?!" and she went up and kicked the Eater before she said: "Damn you! Let her go!" Nokia looked really worried too… "Let's search it over. Maybe we'll find a clue we can use." I said.

We looked all around the Eater for some kind of a clue we could use, but there wasn't a one to be found… "Argh, we've checked and double checked every part of the Eater, but we haven't found anything! How are we supposed to get her off of that thing?" Fei said. "Well we aren't getting any closer by looking at the outside. We'll need to think of something—" I began, but then I said: "Wait a minute… the outside…" and then I had an idea! I approached the Eater and tried to connect jump in. I then heard Nokia say: "Simon? What are you doing?" and I didn't respond before she said: "Hey, hold on! You're not seriously thinking of…?!"

And then I did it—I jumped in! I arrived in a black space with some white-and-gray chain-like lines everywhere and a trail of black and white rings below. I wasn't sure which way was forward, or even where Yuuko was, but that didn't matter… I ran on ahead until I saw Yuuko sitting on the ground in the distance! "YUUKO!" I yelled. She then looked up at me and said: "Oh, Simon…" "I'm so glad I found you. Now come on—we've got to get you out of here!" I said.

But then Yuuko shook her head and said: "What's the point?" "Are—are you serious?!" I asked. "I've been subjected to so much misfortune ever since I was young… my family died all around me and all I've ever done is flail and flounder and bring other people down with me… I mean, look at Under Zero—I thought I was going to create a utopia for all hackers and I only led my poor teammates to their doom! And then there's Rie… I said all of those mean things to her without even realizing she was being used by Crusadermon… I'm nothing special… I've just been a burden. I deserve to be locked up in a place like this and I won't miss out on anything anyway…" Yuuko said.

Now I was getting annoyed and I said: "You ignoramus! Don't you realize that you'd be hurting people by shutting yourself away in here?!" Yuuko looked up and said: "Hurting people…?" before she looked miserable again and said: "Aha… that's good. Like who?" "Fei, for one. You should have seen how frenzied she was trying to rescue you, even before we got here!" I said back. "Okay, so there's Fei… but can you really name anyone else?" Yuuko asked.

"There's the remaining Zaxons—they still respect you and need a leader. Then there's Rie… now that Crusadermon's out of her body, she'd be crushed if you let yourself get trapped like this. I can tell from the password for the secret room. And there's your brother too… he's got to wake up someday and if he finds out he's the only Kamishiro left, he'll be just as devastated as you have been. And… I would be hurt too." I said. "Simon…" Yuuko said. Her attention was fully on me now. I then went on: "Don't you see yet? Not just anybody could form a hacker team. Not just anybody could survive under the conditions you had to live under. You've accomplished significant things and proven how strong you are. It would be a tragedy if you were to disappear here. Don't do that to everyone."

Yuuko then got up and smiled and then she did something I had never seen her do before: she came up and hugged me! I hugged her back as I heard her whisper in my ear: "You win… I was feeling so miserable and hurt… maybe the Eater had something to do with it. But now I see how irresponsible I was being… thank you. I don't want to be stuck in here anymore. Please take me out of here, so I can see everyone." We then let go as I said: "I'm glad to see you're back to your old self. Now come on! Everyone's waiting for you!" and then I took Yuuko's hand and connect jumped out!

We were thrust back out into the room with Nokia and Fei. As soon as we landed, Fei said: "Yuuko!" and she came up to her and said: "Are you okay? That Eater didn't hurt you, did it?!" Yuuko was still smiling as she said: "No, of course not. Thank you for the warm welcome, Fei." Fei smiled back and said: "Of course! That's what friends are for!" She then turned to me and said: "Thank you for rescuing her, Simon. I owe you big time." I laughed and said: "Don't feel obligated Fei. I'm happy to help." But then we heard an odd hissing noise! We whirled around to see the Eater melting away into nothing! "Whew! Thank god that didn't happen when Simon and Yuuko were in there!" Nokia said. "Yeah… well, at least it got what was coming to it." Fei said.

But then the lights suddenly went out! It was almost pitch black in here now… if it weren't for the light coming from the tunnel from the digital shift, we wouldn't be able to see anything! Nokia then yelled: "Waaah! What's going on?! It's like a sudden blackout!" and then she went on: "What a minute… a black…out…?" and then she said: "Arata! He must be making his move!" Fei then said: "Yeah… a bit late, judging by the looks of it." "Well, we'll have to see. Now just to figure out how we're going to make our way back…" I said. "Our only choice is to follow the light from the tunnel. Come on, everyone!" Omnimon said.

We then followed the tunnel back to the underground entrance back to Nakano (luckily, by the time we got there the lights were back on, so we headed back up to Nakano Broadway. As we walked out into the first floor, Omnimon was still with us… "So Omnimon can exist here… please don't take this the wrong way Omnimon, but this isn't looking so good…" Nokia said. "I understand Nokia… I'm just as nervous as you are." Omnimon said. Our heads then turned to the entrance and we all looked at each other before we all ran to it and as we stepped outside into the sunset, we saw it: the buildings around us were experiencing phenomena like in the digital shifts we had been in… and there were Digimon in the streets!

We all then turned to each other. There was no doubt about it now… as grim of a situation as it was, the paradise lost plan was a success…


	36. Keisuke: Worlds entwined

Keisuke Chapter 18–Worlds entwined—

A few days later, I came back to Hudie again. I had been looking into Kamishiro as much as I could, but I hadn't found anything that we could use to get to Rie… When I got in, I sat down at a cubicle and continued my work. In what felt like an hour or two though, I heard Yuri say: "Keisuke?" and I turned around to see her. "Hi Yuri. What is it?" I asked. "Erika wanted me to come and get you for an outing—we're all headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building." Yuri said. "Huh? The metropolitan building…? What for?" I asked. "I managed to dig up some dirt on Kishibe earlier—it turns out she's headed there! If we hurry, we may be able to intercept her and make her pay!" Yuri said. I nodded and said: "Alright! Then let's hurry!"

We then hurried over to the metropolitan building and when we arrived out front, we were surprised to see it was more or less deserted… "Hey… what's going on? It looks like the whole area is unguarded…" Chitose said. "Yeah… that is weird… I thought Kamishiro's security would be tighter than ever…" I said. "I wonder… if they're not here, could they be tied up with someone else?" Yuri asked. "Who?" Chitose asked. "It doesn't matter who! We've got an open path! Let's storm in and make Kishibe pay with everything she's got!" Erika said.

We made our way into the building and looked around the entrance. There was no one here either, so we went up a staircase… and saw four elevators. "Great…" Chitose said. "So there are four elevators… and four of us. I suppose the logical thing to do would be to split up and look for Kishibe through each route." Yuri said. "I like that idea! Everyone, pick an elevator and get moving!" Erika said. We each chose one and I took my elevator to the 30th floor. I searched around the area and didn't find anything for a while… but then I heard my phone ring! I took it out and said: "Hello?" and I heard Erika say: "Hey Keisuke. It's me, Erika." "Hi Erika. What is it?" I asked. "I found Kishibe! She's on the rooftop! So drop whatever you're doing and get back to the lobby and take the elevator that goes to the 48th floor! We'll meet up at the 49th floor and continue together!" Erika said. "Got it! I'm on my way!" I said.

I then retracted my steps and took the elevator Erika had mentioned to a balcony that overlooked the area. I was really high up, but I suppose that's to be expected from 48 floors off the ground… I then ran ahead and took another elevator to the 49th floor, where I saw Erika and Chitose. I then walked up to them and said: "Hey everyone. Where's Yuri?" "She still hasn't arrived yet. We're going to have to wait for her to show up." Erika said. We then waited for a little bit before Yuri showed up and when she arrived, she said: "Hey everyone. Sorry I'm late…" and Erika said: "It doesn't matter! Now let's get Kishibe! This is the moment we've been waiting for!"

As we went to another elevator, I remembered the fiery expression I had seen in Erika's eyes… she was fired up with tension… I hadn't seen her this angry in a long time and it made me sad to see, but it was understandable too… when the elevator stopped and the doors opened, we set foot out and saw a staircase ahead of us. We took it and saw we were at our destination: the rooftop. And Kishibe was right ahead of us!

"Kishibe, YOOOUUU!" Erika yelled. Rie then turned around and when she saw us, she said: "Oh? What have we here? First the police find me, then a group of young hooligans—" and then she paused before she said: "Wait a minute… aren't you Erika Mishima, Ryuji's younger sister?" "That's right! I came here with my friends to punish you for giving him EDEN Syndrome with your wickedly evil trick at Under Zero!" Erika said. "He has EDEN Syndrome…? Well isn't that too bad—" Rie began and then Chitose said: "You horrible…! Is that really all you have to say?!"

"I hadn't intended for dear Ryuji to be one of the people who got EDEN Syndrome—he was so very easy to manipulate and so very, very useful… but you know what they say! You've got to break a few eggs to make an omelet!" Rie said. When Erika heard this, she looked furious and said: "You…! ARRRGHHH!" and she ran up to Rie and hit her! Rie then struck her back and they started grappling with fiery intensity… from slaps, to punches, to kicks and even throws… they assaulted each other in just about every way you could imagine. Finally, Yuri said: "Um… shouldn't we do something?" "What do you expect me to do, hit a lady? Besides, that's some crossfire to get caught in…" Chitose said. "Even so, it feels wrong to just stand by while she's hitting Erika when she's weakened…" I said.

But then we heard Rie say: "Ahahahaha! Got you!" And we immediately turned our heads to see Rie had Erika grabbed by the arms! "Erika!" We said. Rie then walked Erika over to the edge of the building and Yuri yelled: "What _ARE_ you doing?!" Rie then smiled and said: "I'm glad I have your undivided attention! Now let's get down to business. As you can see, I have your friend in a dangerous predicament—why, with one little push she could fall screaming hundreds of feet to her death! And if you don't want me to do that, you'd better let me escape, is that clear?" "Urgh…" I said.

Rie then smiled again and said: "Ahahahaha! Good boys and girls! You remind me of Ryuji, back when he was working for me—simple and easy to manipulate by threatening a loved one's safety! A-hoo-hoo! But don't worry—I'll keep my end of the bargain." Rie then walked Erika along, still remaining close to the edge, until her back was to the stairs that led to the elevator. She then approached us with Erika and when she was getting a little over halfway to us, she said: "Are you ready? Here… she… comes!" and then she shoved Erika at us before she turned around and sprinted down the stairs.

When Erika came to a full stop, she looked up angrily and said: "What were you doing?! You let her get away?!" "What are you talking about?! Kishibe isn't important compared to you, Erika!" I said. "But… we came here to get back at her! That was the whole point of coming all the way out here!" Erika said. "Keisuke's right, Erika. There will be another day when we can get even with Kishibe… but if she had pushed you off, we wouldn't have any way to fix that. We would rather have you with us than getting revenge." Yuri said.

Erika was smiling now and Chitose said: "Besides, this isn't any time for you to throw your life away. You need to be there for Ryuji when they figure out how to wake him up someday—he'll be happy to see you then. It's like Keisuke said—you're more important than a loser like Kishibe." Erika was now smiling happily and she said: "You guys are the best… thank you. I'm lucky to have friends like you." I smiled back and said: "That's what we're here for." Erika then turned away and said: "Alright! Now let's go get Kishibe! Hurry!" and Yuri said: "…I think we should quit while we're ahead."

Erika then whirled around and said: "HUH? You're going to let her get away?!" "Yuri's right, Erika. Kishibe said that the police are already on it and we don't want to get mixed up as being on the wrong side in all that. It's a wonder we managed to sneak in without that happening, really…" Chitose said. "I'm inclined to agree. We should get out of here while the going's still good." I said. Erika sighed disappointedly and said: "Fine. Let's go then…" We then headed back to Hudie. Even though we didn't catch Rie… I've never seen Erika that happy before. Having the chance to see that side of her… at least that was something we accomplished today.

The next day I came in and was about to check the BBS for cases when I heard a: "Hey Keisuke." Behind me. It was Chitose. I turned around and said: "Hi Chitose. What's going on?" "Erika wants us to go out and meet with Arata Sanada today. He had an important case for all of us. That being said, do you remember who Arata is?" Chitose asked. "I think so… didn't you say he was in the Judes?" I asked. "Exactly right! He was actually our leader, so it will be good to see him again. So let's go! We're headed to meet him at Shinjuku." Chitose said. "Alright." I said.

Chitose then took me to Erika and Yuri and we all traveled to Shinjuku. When we arrived, we went to a plaza where there were several people… eventually though, I saw Chitose focusing on one: he appeared to be in his late teens. He wore blue sweatpants and a zipped gray jacket and white shoes. He had short black hair too, although it was longer in the front. Soon enough, Chitose approached him and said: "Heey! It's been a while, Arata!" the boy then turned around and when he saw Chitose, he smiled and said: "Well look what we have here!" and he approached Chitose as he said: "It's good to see you again, Chitose." When they got in close range of each other, they shook hands and then Chitose said: "Yeah! Same to you, Arata!"

Arata then turned to us and said: "Are these your partners at Hudie?" "Yes they are! The little lady in yellow is Erika, the girl in the white shirt is Yuri, and the other guy is Keisuke." Chitose said. Arata then raised an eyebrow before he said: "And Ryuji? Where's he?" We all looked disheartened after he said this… "What? What's the matter? Don't tell me something happened to him…?" Arata said.

Chitose and I then explained what happened to Ryuji at Under Zero. By the end of it, Arata looked shocked and said: "WHAT?! Ryuji has EDEN Syndrome?! And it happened at Under Zero?" "Yes…" I said. Arata then fell on his knees and hit the ground before he said: "Damn you, Rie Kishibe…! How much longer are you going to keep tormenting my friends?!" Chitose still looked disheartened as he said: "I'm sorry Arata… it's hard on all of us too…" and Arata got up and said: "Yeah, that's true… I'm just whining compared to you…" and then he went on: "Well that would explain why he never answered my request that I eventually sent to you… the same one you're here for now." And then he continued: "Let me explain: my friends and I are trying to stop Rie Kishibe's latest plan. She calls it the 'Paradise Lost' plan—" and then Erika immediately looked up and said: "WHAT? What's that horrible woman scheming now?"

Arata looked a bit more stern as he said: "This one is incredibly serious… it makes Under Zero look like nothing…" and then I said: "WHAT?" before Arata said: "Yes… this time, she's trying to bring about human extinction—" and then Yuri said: "What?! What would she stand to gain from that?!" "In order to answer that question, I'll have to explain what the plan is. For starters, have any of you ever heard of the digital world?" Arata asked. "Yes, my Digimon have told me about it." I said. "So has mine." Erika said.

"Oh really? Well that works for me—it'll save some time. Anyway, there's what's called a 'dimensional barrier' that keeps Earth and the Digital World separated. The thing is, it's partially damaged, so young Digimon that don't take up much memory can slip through, but strong ones that take up more than a small amount can't. Kishibe plans to 'correct' this by destroying that barrier completely so an unlimited number of Digimon can come to Earth—and the first on the guest list are a group of overwhelmingly powerful Digimon known as the 'Royal Knights' who want to bring about the end of our species. They'll have a whole army of Digimon coming too." Arata said.

"Why…? Why would Digimon want that?" Erika asked. "According to my intel, the Digital World has been overrun by Eaters… and the Royal Knights blame us for it." Arata said. We all then looked disturbed before Arata said: "Yeah, I know. It's weird… but to answer your original question, we suspect that Rie is either under the control of a Digimon… or may even be a Digimon inside a human's body." "WHAT? But that's impossible!" Erika said. "Given what we're up against and how fantasy-like it is, I think it may be the wrong time for conventional thinking. Those are just our theories anyway." Arata said.

Then there was a pause before Arata said: "Anyway, to stop Rie's plan, we need to cause a massive power outage over Tokyo. Can we count on your help?" "Umm… are you sure that's a good idea? Won't cutting off the power leave us defenseless?" Yuri asked. Arata frowned and said: "Of course I have! You think I'd just haphazardly plan an operation like this where humanity is at stake?!" He then paused and said: "Look, Rie's plan is going to consume a lot of power in order to destroy the dimensional barrier, so if we cut off the energy she needs to do it, she'll be screwed. That's how it works. Besides it's not forever—it's only until we can bring her in."

Then there was a pause before Arata said: "So do you get it now? Then let's continue: naturally there are multiple power plants we'd need to shut down, but I can handle most of them—the one I need your help with is the Roppongi power plant. I need you to get in there and shut it down. I'll give you the URL too, so you can get in there. As for the attack on the power supply, it will start at 3:00 P.M., so you have four hours until then. Use the time wisely, but don't be late! No matter what!" "Don't worry, Arata—we wouldn't miss this for the world!" Chitose said.

Arata then smiled and said: "Good, because that's exactly what's at stake! Alright, then be at the Roppongi power plant by 3:00 sharp!" We then went about our business until then. A little before 3:00, we all got back together and used the URL Arata gave us to enter the Roppongi Power Plant Server.

When we arrived, our Digimon appeared by us; I called out Wingdramon, Crescemon and Ciel while Wormmon appeared by Erika, Ankylomon and Angemon appeared by Chitose and Yuri called out an Angewomon and two other Digimon… one was very humanoid and had two arms and two legs. Her torso had pink flower petals all over it and she had a skirt made of pink flower petals. She had pale pink skin on her arms, neck, face and legs and a beautiful pink flower growing out of her head. She had green sleeves that started halfway down her bicep and kept going up until it stopped at some green leaves growing around her wrists. She wore long green boots that went up to her knees and had daisies on them and had vines growing out of the back of her head that looked like hair. They went down to her waist. She also had four thin, green leafy wings on her back and was flapping them to stay aloft. She looked 3'9 tall. The other was a giant gray dinosaur that walked on two legs and was covered in metal. Its body was shaped like a T-rex's, although its arms were longer and wider. It had a tail and wires over its body and its jaws looked very powerful. It looked 9'2 tall.

When our Digimon were out, Erika looked at mine and said: "Wow… you've been busy, haven't you Keisuke?" I grinned and said: "Yup! It all comes from getting to work with such wonderful Digimon!" and mine smiled before Chitose turned to Yuri and said: "And yours are really something too, Yuri! It looks like you've advanced a lot in a short time!" Yuri grinned and said: "Thanks! I guess I really got into being a full-time hacker with Angewomon…" she said as she put her hand on Angewomon's shoulder, then she went to the flower fairy-like Digimon and said: "Lillymon…" and did the same before she went to the dinosaur Digimon and said: "And MetalTyrannomon here. I even have another Digimon in reserve, LadyDevimon!" "That's great. Good job, Yuri." I said.

Yuri smiled back before she turned to Angemon and said: "And Angemon, it's good to see you! Have you been okay?" "Absolutely, Yuri. It's great to see you again too." Angemon said. "That's good. Has Chitose been treating you well?" Yuri asked. "He's been a great tamer so far—there's no need to worry." Angemon said. Yuri smiled and said: "Good." Then she turned to Chitose and said: "Thanks for looking out for him, Chitose." "Hey, it's my pleasure!" Chitose said. Erika then said: "Well now that we've seen all of our Digimon, we'd better get back to work, wouldn't you say? I can just picture how mad Arata will be if we fall behind schedule here…"

"Well, that is a point… let's get going!" I said. We then moved in and looked ahead: the area itself was a series of gray walkways, and there were giant spheres of yellow energy in the distance! "Wow! Look at those giant orb thingies! Do you think they're connected to the power?" Wormmon asked. "They have to be. Let's see if there's a way we can tamper with them!" Erika said.

We then approached one—and ended up seeing there was a computer terminal nearby! "Looks like this controls it… we'll just need to hack it and use it to turn off the power supply!" Chitose said. "Right. Now let's see…" I said as everyone turned to me and I went on: "There's a hacking skill that lets you turn power on or off, but it requires a Digimon of the electric element, and I don't have one…" "Neither do I… Ankylomon is an earth and Angemon is a light…" Chitose said. "And Wormmon is a plant element… I'm not sure what to do…" Erika said. "Oh, you can leave this to me! MetalTyrannomon is an electric element Digimon!" Yuri said. She then stepped up to the terminal and started hacking it before the yellow sphere disappeared!

"Whoa! Great work, Yuri!" Chitose said. "Yeah. That was really lucky she had an electric Digimon, or else we'd be in real trouble now." I said. "…It still doesn't seem to have turned the power off completely though… there must be more we need to turn off." Erika said. "That sounds about right… alright, let's keep looking!" Yuri said.

We then went around hacking more terminals until all the ones in the immediate area had been turned off. There was still power in the area though, so we continued to proceed further in. We kept hacking more terminals as we went and soon we arrived at a clearing that led further in, but when we did, we were in for a surprise… Suedou was here too!

"Great… someone's stationed here…" Chitose whispered. "Who's he? Is he with the Roppongi power plant staff?" Yuri whispered. "Actually, it's much worse than that. He's with Kamishiro—" I began, but then Erika ran forward and said: "S-Suedou?! What are you doing in here?!" I sighed and we all ran after Erika. Suedou then turned his head and when he saw us, he said: "Hmm? Well if it isn't the kids from Shinjuku! Although you seem to have more friends among you now…" "I can't believe it… I never expected to encounter you here… although I suppose that's just as well, because I was hoping to get your help…" Erika said.

"My help, you say? Whatever with?" Suedou asked. "Before I answer that, there's something I have to know: if you're with Kamishiro, are you working with Rie Kishibe?" Erika asked. "Good heavens, why would you even be concerned about Ms. Kishibe…?" Suedou asked back. We didn't answer and then Suedou went on: "…But I suppose I owe you an answer. I do answer to her, although I do not fully support her…" "That's good enough then. The reason I wanted your help was that I wanted to cure the EDEN Syndrome of a victim of Under Zero." Erika said. "A victim of Under Zero, you say?" Suedou asked.

Erika then retold the story of what happened at Under Zero and how Ryuji had acquired EDEN Syndrome. Finally, Suedou said: "My, my, how terrible… this is the cost of working for a company like Kamishiro, I suppose… very well, here." He then took out… what looked like a manual… it was a moderately-sized series of papers. He then handed it to Erika and she said: "Whoa, what a massive document…!" and Suedou chuckled and said: "Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm… this is a printed copy of my thesis on Eaters. The information you seek may be found in there." "You're just giving me this? Even if it is a copy?" Erika asked.

"For an undertaking as honorable as trying to cure EDEN Syndrome, I would be happy to help. Besides, knowledge should be shared with those who seek it." Suedou said. Yuri then turned to Erika and said: "Erika, we need to hurry…" and Erika said: "Yes, you're right…" and then she turned to Suedou and said: "Thank you for your help, Suedou. Now I may be able to save my brother." "Happy to have been of service. Farewell, then." Suedou said.

We then hurried by. As we passed Suedou, I turned around to see if he was planning something, but he was merely looking off into the distance… I then hurried and caught up with everyone else. As we kept going ahead, Erika looked happy and said: "I can't believe we actually got something so precious from Suedou that I can use to save my brother! I'm full of energy now!" "It was nice of him to do that… and since it's on paper, it can't contain any malware either, which is really unexpected…" Yuri said. I thought Yuri's point was true; it was odd he hadn't tried to collect personal information in order to send us the document or give us something that could contain malware… Chitose then said: "There's one thing I don't get though: if he works for Kishibe, why did he let us through?" "I know. I find it very suspicious as well… which is likely why we're not safe yet. Maybe he called for backup. We should hurry." I said.

We then hacked more terminals and turned the power off, and soon we were at a dead end with only one left… but it was guarded by a giant robot Digimon! It looked like a construction machine and was made almost entirely out of machinery. It walked on four legs and had a camo-colored body with a long crane-like neck and a head like a machine that scoops up dirt. It had two red eyes and an actual mouth that was full of real, sharp, pointed teeth. It had a drill nose, three more drills on its back and two chrome-colored tails, each one of which ended with a drill. It also had two long, mechanical arms coming out of its sides. It looked 16'2 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I took it out and it said: "Brakedramon scan data: 5%." It also said Brakedramon was a virus Digimon, so I called out Wingdramon, Hisyaryumon and Blanc and Erika sent in Wormmon, while Chitose let Ankylomon and Angemon at it and Yuri sent in Angewomon, MetalTyrannomon and that LadyDevimon she was talking about.

Erika then said: "Wormmon, use sticky net!" and Wormmon said: "Sticky net!" and spat up silk threads that ensnared Brakedramon and hurt it. Yuri then said: "Angewomon, use holy light 3! LadyDevimon, use nightmare 3! MetalTyrannomon, use ripping net!" and Angewomon said: "Holy light 3!" and caused a shining, exploding cross of light to form where Brakedramon was. LadyDevimon then said: "Nightmare 3!" and a purple blob of darkness formed at Brakedramon's head and burst, knocking him back! MetalTyrannomon then said: "Ripping net!" and has claws crackled with electricity before he swiped at Brakedramon with them… but Brakedramon didn't even flinch and showed no signs of getting paralyzed. Brakedramon then said: "Critical charge!" and cast a spell on himself to make it easier for him to identify our Digimons' weak points. I then said: "Wingdramon, use wind claw 3! Hisyaryumon, give yourself a boost! Attack charge! Blanc, use protect wave!" and Wingdramon said: "Wind claw 3!" and he flew over at Brakedramon and raked him with his claws, which appeared to work really well! He then flew back as Hisyaryumon said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks. Blanc then said: "Protect wave!" and she made yellow barriers appear in front of all of our Digimon. Chitose then said: "Angemon, get him with a heaven's knuckle! Ankylomon, boost everyone with a guard charge field!" and Angemon said: "Heaven's knuckle!" and his fist started to shine before he projected a beam of light from it that hit Brakedramon! Ankylomon then said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell on all of our Digimon that made them harder to damage with non-magic attacks.

Brakedramon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and a giant boulder formed in between our Digimon and soon shattered, raining down shards of rock on them—Wormmon took it the hardest. After that, Yuri said: "Angewomon, use holy light 3! LadyDevimon, use nightmare 3! MetalTyrannomon, use nuclear laser!" and Angewomon and LadyDevimon attacked as they had before MetalTyrannomon said: "Nuclear laser!" and pointed the palm of his hand at Brakedramon and fired a laser from it! It looked like it worked pretty well, too! Chitose then said: "Angemon, use heaven's knuckle again! Ankylomon, give 'im a tail hammer!" and Angemon attacked as he had previously again and Ankylomon said: "Tail hammer!" and swung his tail at Brakedramon. Erika said: "Wormmon, use crescent leaf 2!" and Wormmon said: "Crescent leaf 2!" and conjured several sharp-edged leaves and sent them flying around Brakedramon. "Wingdramon, use wind claw 3 again! Hisyaryumon, use legendary dragon blade! Blanc, use divine pierce!" I said and Wingdramon flew in and raked Brakedramon with his claws again before flying back and then Hisyaryumon said: "Legendary dragon blade!" and he flew up into the air and leaned backward before he turned into a giant sword and slammed down on Brakedramon, hard! After Hisyaryumon returned to normal, Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and she held up her trident and it became electrically charged before she pointed it at Brakedramon and shot a beam of electricity at him and zapped him!

Not surprisingly, Brakedramon was starting to look worn down from our many attacks. He then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and Erika said: "Wormmon, prepare to defend!" and Wormmon assumed a defensive position before Brakedramon attacked with it again and after the shards of rock rained down, Wormmon was having trouble getting up! "Wormmon?" Erika said. "Urgh… I can't keep going on like this! I need to withdraw!" Wormmon said. "…Alright. Hold on a minute." Erika said as she called Wormmon back to her whale-like keyboard. I then said: "Hisyaryumon, give Wingdramon a boost! Critical charge! Blanc, use divine pierce! Wingdramon, use wind claw 3 again!" and Hisyaryumon said: "Critical charge!" and boosted Wingdramon with the same spell Brakedramon boosted himself with. Wingdramon then said: "Wind claw 3!" and raked Brakedramon with his claws again, and this time it seemed to work extra well, too! He then flew away and Blanc said: "Divine pierce!" and electrically charged her trident again before she zapped Brakedramon again. Chitose then had his Digimon attack as they had the last time, as did Yuri. From there, Brakedramon used another awesome quake 3, and then we overwhelmed him with our attacks!

Brakedramon then collapsed and I saw Erika call Wormmon out again. Wormmon looked beat, but could still stand anyway. When Wormmon was out, she said: "Ugh… wha-what am I doing back out again?" "I wanted you to be around, Wormmon. Can you walk?" Erika asked. "Um… let's see…" Wormmon said. She then took several steps forward but slipped and fell at one point. Wormmon got up and brushed herself off as she said: "Heh… it looks like I just barely can." Erika then looked down and said: "I'm sorry, Wormmon. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard…" and then Blanc said: "Not a problem! Here—heal!" and she cast a spell on Wormmon that restored her health! Wormmon then looked up and said: "Mmm… I definitely feel better now, though not really enough… can you do it again?" "Sure!" Blanc said. She kept using heal on Wormmon until she was as good as new.

Wormmon then jumped up and down and said: "Wow, thanks! That was really nice of you!" Blanc smiled and said: "You're welcome! I'm always happy to help out!" Erika smiled and said: "That's one great Digimon you raised, Keisuke." I smiled and said: "Yup. She certainly is." We all then smiled together before Yuri finally said: "As much as I hate to break up a heartwarming moment, we'd better get a move on, given what's at stake!" "Yes, you're right…" I said. I then went on: "This has got to be the last one! Let's shut it down!"

Yuri then approached the terminal Brakedramon had been guarding and hacked it before shutting it down… and then the lights almost completely went out! "YES! Looks like we did it—we stopped the Paradise Lost plan!" Erika said. Yuri then said: "Um… are you sure? We haven't even heard from Arata yet." Just then though, Chitose's phone rang and then he checked it and said: "It's Arata! Hold on—I'll see what he has to say." And then he picked it up and said: "Hi Arata." And there was a pause before he said: "We just shut down the Roppongi power plant. How are things on your end?" and there was a pause before Chitose said: "What…? NO! Are you sure?!"

 _That_ didn't sound good… Finally, Chitose said: "I see… okay. I'll tell them." And then he said goodbye and hung up. Chitose then said: "Bad, bad news guys… we were too late. The Paradise Lost plan succeeded because of us. All the good our involvement did was limiting the number of Digimon that made it to Earth." Erika then looked down and said: "No…" "So if we had been faster, we could have stopped all the carnage that will doubtlessly ensue… that's a heavy weight to have on my conscience…" Yuri said. "Being depressed isn't going to help anything, Yuri!" I said. "Exactly! For now, we should get out of here, like Arata said. After all, it's only a matter of time until someone shows up!" Chitose said.

We then raced to the exit and logged out. The way we really knew the Paradise Lost plan was a success was by what happened next—When we arrived in Hudie, some of our smaller Digimon appeared with us! Blanc, Crescemon, Ciel and LadyDevimon all appeared by me, while Erika's Wormmon appeared by her, Chitose's Angemon appeared by him and Yuri's Angewomon, Lillymon and LadyDevimon all appeared by her! We were all surprised to see them and then Blanc said: "Huh? Where is this place? It doesn't look like a conventional cyberspace…"

I then had to explain to them what had happened and that they were on Earth. By the end of my explanation, Crescemon looked surprised and said: "So an invasion will be starting… that's so sad. But you can count on us to keep you safe, Keisuke. Don't worry." On the other hand, LadyDevimon looked happy and said: "I don't like the thought of an invasion either, but otherwise I think it's splendid! Now I can be with master any time!" Wormmon then smiled and said: "Yeah! I think being on Earth is exciting too! There's so much I want to see!" and then she and LadyDevimon laughed together before she went on: "Ooh, I can't wait! I've got to go see!" and then she ran off into the cafe! We then heard someone there yell: "Aah! What is that thing?!" and then we heard a bumping noise before Wormmon said: "Hey cool! This is a machine that dispenses drinks! Look at how many there are!" Erika then started running into the cafe and yelled: "Wormmon, get back here!" and I thought I heard Wormmon say: "Hmm… coffee sounds good! I think I'll try a cup…"

At that moment, Chitose, Yuri and I all fell over laughing. The Paradise Lost plan succeeding was a grim reality, but at least our Digimon were making this a lot more fun.


	37. Keisuke: The Digimon hunter

Keisuke Chapter 19—The Digimon hunter—

The next day, I went into Hudie and checked the BBS for cases. I didn't happen to see any—which I suppose is understandable when Digimon were on the loose, as a lot of people were scared and now staying inside—so I decided to go to the Digilab instead. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and checked to see if any of my Digimon could digivolve. I looked and it said that Crescemon, BlueMetalGreymon and Hisyaryumon all could!

When I saw this, I grinned widely and gathered everyone in the farm island up and called everyone out. When I did, Angewomon said: "Looks like it's time for us to digivolve again, right?" "It sure is!" I said back. She then smiled and said: "That's great! Now let's see… since we're all ultimates—except for Ciel and Blanc—that means that unless they're digivolving, you're going to be getting your first mega Digimon, Keisuke!" I grinned and said: "Yes, that's exactly right! Three of you are ready to reach that level!" "Great! Then who are the lucky three, master?" LadyDevimon asked. "Crescemon, BlueMetalGreymon and Hisyaryumon!" I said. They all then high-fived each other and BlueMetalGreymon said: "Right on! I knew I'd reach that level first!" "Hey, we all reached that level at the same time, in case you don't remember!" Hisyaryumon said. Crescemon laughed and said: "I'm just glad there's some good news for us, what with the Paradise Lost plan succeeding and all…" "Exactly! So who wants to go first?" I asked. "I do!" BlueMetalGreymon said. I laughed and said: "Alright, BlueMetalGreymon. Then step right up."

And he did so. I then digivolved him into a BlackWarGreymon—a Digimon that walked on two legs, had black skin and black armor over his massive arms (that ended with three long, sharp claws) which also had two outspread shield-halves on his back, a black-and-gray tasset, gray shin guards with stripes up the center and gray armor over his torso and face (the face armor also had a tusk over the nose and two horns on the side of his head and the torso armor had three dark yellow, x-shaped wires on them). He had dark yellow hair on the back of his head too and huge feet with long toe nails. He looked 7 feet tall.

When the process finished, I said: "Great job, BlackWarGreymon! Now you've finally reached the level you dreamed of!" "That's right! And I'm all ready to do an amazing job for you and everyone else!" he replied. "I know you will. Congratulations, BlackWarGreymon!" I said. He then went off with everyone else.

I then proceeded to digivolve Hisyaryumon into an Ouryumon. Hisyaryumon became a colorless wireframe and then reshaped into an Ouryumon—he looked like a floating serpent with a brown back, a gold underbelly and two legs and two arms. His legs had feet that had two yellow toes with black toenails (including an additional toe on the back of each foot) and his arms had gold shoulder pads, gold-and-black forearm guards and hands with two claws and a thumb (all of which were yellow with black nails) that each held a cutlass in them. He had two wings that were black with gold edges and were ripped open on the inside… he also had a bladed tail. He had a helm with a purple feather drooped backwards and looked 7'10 tall.

When the process was over, I said: "That's some great work, Ouryumon! It looks like you're all ready to rip evil apart!" and Ouryumon smiled and said: "You've got that right! Even though the Paradise Lost plan recently succeeded, now I feel full of hope to help your world and defend it!" I smiled when I heard this and said: "You're really a breath of fresh air, Ouryumon. The world could use more optimists like you." Ouryumon chuckled and said: "Being a source of hope in others' lives makes me that much more special! I'll keep it up too." And he went off with the others.

Finally, I digivolved Crescemon into a Dianamon. Crescemon then became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a Dianamon—she now floated above the ground and wore white armor (although her skin was also white, making it hard to distinguish some of it from the armor) with a blue sash around her waist, gold bangles around her wrists that had blue sleeves that went up to her elbows behind them, blue crescents coming out of her shoulder armor and she had a white helm that had blue curved blades attached to the top and white curved blades attached to the sides. She had a blue mouthguard, a hot pink scarf that went down to her feet, a white ruffled skirt with blue undershorts and white boots that had crescent moons with faces drawn on them on the front. She had a giant dual-edged scythe that looked as tall as she was and she looked 5'10 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Fantastic work, Dianamon! I'll bet you're excited to have reached this level, too!" And she smiled and said: "Yes, I am! I've come so far under your leadership, and if you hadn't bought me at the Digimarket, I would have been deleted and never would have reached this level at all…" She then floated towards me and hugged me (and I hugged her back) as she said: "You have truly earned my respect, Keisuke. I will always be happy to help you and I look forward to more adventures with you and everyone else."

Dianamon then let go and flew over to the others. Everyone was excited and soon things wrapped up. I decided to add Angewomon, Wingdramon, Blanc, Dianamon, DoruGreymon, Taomon, LadyDevimon, BlackWarGreymon and Ciel to my phone (leaving Ouryumon and MegaSeadramon in the farm island) and logged out. I then returned to Hudie (with Angewomon, Taomon and LadyDevimon following) and left the building. When we were out in the streets, we saw the digital shift affecting the outdoor space again…

I sighed and said: "I don't know if I'll ever get used to it being different like this…" and Taomon said: "I didn't expect to see such surreal phenomena on Earth either…" and then she went on: "Even so, don't let it get you down, Keisuke. We'll find a way to make it work out." I smiled and LadyDevimon said: "Right! Besides, sitting around moping won't make it any better! Why don't we go for a walk, master?" I smiled and said: "Sure. It's not like we have any cases to do now, after all."

We then decided to go to Shibuya. As we walked through the streets, things were as normal as normal was right now… there were Digimon and people going through. Oddly enough though, I didn't actually see too many Digimon attacking people… we kept going until I saw something strange… there was a teenage boy in the street, standing in the path of a bus!

He wore a black, hooded jacket with a red zipper line. He had red pants, white shoes and a weird-looking white mask with u-shaped black lines around his chin that went upside down around his ears. He also had a Digimon next to him… it looked like an odd, humanoid demon that walked on two legs and had two leathery black wings. Its jaw, neck and upper body were all a rust-colored exoskeleton with a black jewel inside… it had white gloves and bandages on its biceps. It wore black pants and white boots. Its head was colored black and had four black wing-like ear flaps. It also held a wood staff with a yellow jewel held inside claw-like adornments at the top. It looked 6'7 tall.

I heard the teenage boy say: "Look at those common scum, trying to escape what they've earned…" and the bus soon stopped in front of him and started honking at him before the teenage boy pointed at the bus and snapped his fingers before he said: "Go on, SkullSatamon! Let's make some terror!" and the Digimon then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused a fiery explosion to engulf the bus, setting it ablaze!

I then ran up to him and said: "HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" and the boy (and his SkullSatamon) turned to me and he said: "Hmm…? Oh, well look at this… it's the brat who keeps ignoring my calls…" "What? Wait… are you…K?!" I asked. "You got it. You sure are a rude one, giving me the cold shoulder after giving you such valuable intel—" the boy began, and then I said: "What are you talking about?! All you did was lead me on two wild goose chases! And you call that 'valuable intel'? You're completely incompetent!"

"Me…? Incompetent?" K said. And then he laughed and said: "Aren't you a fool! But more so… what about you? You're here to defend the people here, aren't you?" "I didn't originally come here to do that, but I'll be happy to, yes." I said back. "Foolish hacker… you don't know your friends from your enemies! You and I may not have much in common… but we are hackers, aren't we? Those who are rejected and hated by normal society, like those idiots in that bus! Why would you side with them? It's people like them that persecute and prey on the downtrodden, like us! As a hacker, it's your duty to attack them!" K said.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled. "Hmm…?" K said. I then went on: "I don't take orders from bloodthirsty maniacs like you! Those people were just innocent bystanders you murdered… with morons like you around… I can understand why they'd hate us." "Well look at you! Sympathizing with the human waste of the worlds… you're one of them. What a waste of time." K said. SkullSatamon then approached us and he went on: "Then there's nothing left to say! Goodbye, Keisuke—I'll do away with you as I did those people!"

I then felt my phone vibrate and I took it out and it said: "SkullSatamon scan data: 10%." It also said he was a virus Digimon, so I called out Blanc, Angewomon and Wingdramon. I then said: "Blanc, use protect wave! Wingdramon, give yourself a boost! Angewomon, use holy light 3!" and Blanc said: "Protect wave!" and made yellow barriers appear in front of her, Angewomon and Wingdramon. Wingdramon then said: "Attack charge!" and increased his damage output with non-magic attacks. Angewomon then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross appear where SkullSatamon was! K then said: "SkullSatamon, hit Angewomon with a texture blow!" and SkullSatamon said: "Texture blow!" and he ran at Angewomon and hit her with his staff. Angewomon took the hit easily though. K then said: "Hmm… how odd…" and I chuckled before I said: "Wingdramon, hit him with wind claw 3! Angewomon, give him another holy light 3!" and Wingdramon then said: "Wind claw 3!" and he swooped in and raked SkullSatamon with his claws. As he went back, Angewomon said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked with another exploding cross. K then said: "SkullSatamon, use nail bone on Wingdramon!" and SkullSatamon said: "Nail bone!" and zapped Wingdramon with a bolt of energy from his staff. Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and she held her trident up in the air and it became electrically charged before she pointed it at SkullSatamon and fired off an electric beam at him!

K then said: "SkullSatamon, hit them with a hell crusher 3!" and SkullSatamon said: "Hell crusher 3!" and made three groups of purplish-pink wisps of darkness spin around Angewomon, Blanc and Wingdramon and crash into them! I then had my Digimon attack as they had last time, and K had SkullSatamon use hell crusher again. After that, I said: "Wingdramon, boost yourself again! Blanc, get another protect wave going! Angewomon, aura!" and Wingdramon said: "Attack charge!" and boosted himself again before Blanc said: "Protect wave!" and made yellow barriers appear in front of everyone again. Angewomon then said: "Aura!" and cast a spell that restored all of my Digimons' health! "Grr! So that's how we're going to do this, huh? SkullSatamon, use nail bone on Angewomon!" K said. SkullSatamon then did so.

I then said: "Wingdramon, use wind claw 3 again! Angewomon, give him a holy light 3! Blanc, use divine pierce!" and they all attacked before K said: "SkullSatamon, use destruction cannon on Angewomon!" and SkullSatamon said: "Destruction cannon!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at Angewomon.

The battle went on like this for a while, but with Angewomon's healing, Blanc's protect wave and Wingdramon's boosting and attacks, it was only a matter of time before SkullSatamon fell into a kneeling position and couldn't keep fighting!

When K saw this, his body language revealed he was stunned and he said: "Wh-what?! No…no way!" and I grinned and said: "Heh-heh… you're not just incompetent and cruel… you're weak too. You're a complete joke. People like you… really disgust me." K then looked mad and said: "Grr! Losing to a bleeding heart like you is even worse than this humiliation—"

But then something leaped in between us! It was a disgusting creature… it looked like a weird bug and walked on two legs. It walked on its feet, which each had a single bladed toenail in front and in back. Its legs were muscular, yet thin. It also had a muscular upper body with two arms that ended in two giant red pincers instead of hands. It had a pointed head with two long silver horns and red slits for eyes. It had six red spikes on its upper back and pink skin. It looked 3'10 tall.

"What the…?!" I said and then the creature said: "Keisuke… excellent. I knew you'd win…" and then K said: "Rrr! Friend of yours, scum?" I ignored K as I said to the creature: "What are you talking about?! Who… who are you?!" The creature then turned to SkullSatamon and then somehow shot one of its pincers at SkullSatamon… when the pincer made contact, SkullSatamon got sucked into it until he was no more and lines of energy went into the creature!

I was horrified and K said: "It… it killed my Digimon?! What is that… that…?!" and the creature said: "I am… Arcadiamon. Remember that name, fool." K then backed away, looking very nervous as Arcadiamon said: "Heh-heh… relax. I'm not going to eat you. You're so utterly pathetic, you're not even worth eating. But do come back when you have more Digimon for me to eat… he was delicious." K then said: "Dah…" and turned around and ran away!

Arcadiamon then turned to face me and said: "Great job, Keisuke." "You… you can eat Digimon?! What are you? A Digimon… or an Eater?" I asked. "Don't get me mixed up with those monsters—I am a full-fledged Digimon." Arcadiamon said. "Why? Why would you kill other Digimon?!" I asked. "It helps me grow. And I have every intention of getting stronger." Arcadiamon replied. "How… how could you…" I said. Arcadiamon then began to chuckle as he said: "Heh-heh-heh… I don't expect you to understand. But that's fine. Farewell, Keisuke. Until we meet again." And then he ran off! "HEY! Hold on!" I yelled, but he kept on going…

"A Digimon that murders other Digimon in order to grow… and it's a Digimon too? What a horrible beast that is…" Angewomon said. "You're absolutely right, Angewomon! That thing is dreadful…" I said. Blanc then looked down and said: "Keisuke, Angewomon, Wingdramon… I don't know how you all could be so calm around that thing… As soon as I saw it eat SkullSatamon, I was scared the whole time!" "I think we all were. It's perfectly understandable, Blanc. But the fact that you stood your ground when something so dangerous was around is proof of how brave and noble you are." I said. Blanc then smiled and said: "Thank you! Of course, it was worth it—you all are like a family to me and I'd never run off when you're all around a monster like that!"

When I heard this, I felt so proud of her… I smiled and knelt down and hugged Blanc as I said: "You're such an amazing Digimon, Blanc. For a rookie, you're so brave and loyal… I'm proud of you. You're already an amazing Digimon and I know you'll become even more amazing when you completely grow up someday." Blanc then backed out and said: "Thanks, Keisuke! It's so nice to have so many people and Digimon around who all believe in me… I'm so lucky!"

And then her eyes suddenly widened and she said: "Oh!" and there was a flash of light! When we could see again, Blanc was taller and her hood covered her eyes now, although her hood had been slit many times and was now slit into several pieces … she looked exactly how the other Blanc I knew from the training gym did when she digivolved!

"Blanc… you digivolved?" I asked. "Yes! I realized how lucky I was to have you all and digivolved into my awake form!" Blanc said. Her voice was still high pitched when she said that, but it wasn't as high pitched as before. I then smiled and said: "Well that's fine by me! I knew you'd make it and achieve great things someday! Congratulations!" and Blanc said: "Thank you, Keisuke—really. You're so nice and I appreciate everything you've done."

And this time she came up to me and hugged me. I hugged her back and soon we let go. I then said: "Well, that's enough of a walk for one day. We'd better head back while the going's still good." And Wingdramon said: "I second that!" and we laughed before we went back.

When we arrived, I went to Hudie and my Digimon went with me before I collapsed in a cubicle. I decided I'd go to the Digilab to see if anyone else could digivolve. Just as I was about to sit up though, I heard a: "Hi Keisuke! What's new today?" It was Wormmon. I turned to her and said: "Hi Wormmon. I just discovered something big in Shibuya—" and then I heard Erika say: "Wormmon! I thought I told you to stay in my office!" and I looked up to see her walking over to Wormmon. Wormmon then looked down and said: "Ulp… sorry. It's just really dark and quiet in there… all I do when I'm in there is nap because it makes me sleepy, and I'm tired of it." Erika then said: "Fair enough. But you've got to stop going into the cafe. Remember: most people are afraid of Digimon ever since the ones that were hostile came here from the Digital World and your sudden visits are scaring some of the customers."

Wormmon sighed and said: "Okay, deal." And then she went on: "But hey, listen, listen! Keisuke says he just discovered something big in Shibuya!" and then Erika turned to me and said: "Something big…? Like what?" "A Digimon that can kill and consume other Digimon. It gatecrashed a fight I was in in Shibuya." I said. At that moment, Wormmon looked horrified and said: "Whaaaat?! A Digimon that can kill other Digimon?!" while Erika said: "A Digimon that kills its own kind? Why? Why would a Digimon do that?"

I then recounted the details to Erika and by the end of it, she looked sad and said: "That… that's horrible. It kills other Digimon to become stronger… and for what?" "I have no idea. But we should keep him on our radar—a creature that dangerous and evil is going to only become a bigger problem the more we let him do as he pleases." I said. "…You're right. Alright, we'll keep tabs on him. But there's still one thing that bothers me, Keisuke…" Erika said and I said: "Hmm?" before she went on: "You said he knew your name, right? Which means that he must have known you from somewhere before."

"But that's impossible. We had literally just met for the first time." I said. "…Keisuke, are you being completely honest with me about this?" Erika asked. "Of course! That is the truth—he knows me even though I don't know him." I said. Erika looked a little uneasy before she said: "Hmm… alright." And then she went on: "It's weird that he knows you without you having any knowledge of who he is… but it can't be helped. We'll figure it out eventually. I'll keep analyzing Suedou's thesis. For now, you keep taking cases and looking into Arcadiamon." "Right." I said back.

Erika then walked off before Wormmon said: "Jeez… I don't think I'll have any trouble staying here now!" "I wasn't trying to scare you Wormmon." I said back. "I know, I know… but I'm not very strong. I guess it may have been a good wakeup call after all…" Wormmon said before she went on: "I'll be more careful. And I'm glad you told me about this, Keisuke." I sighed before I said: "Okay, I guess… just please remember Arcadiamon can't be everywhere at once, Wormmon." Wormmon nodded and then went off…

I then went back to my original plan and logged into the Digilab. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and then went over to the terminal used for digivolution. I checked to see if any of my Digimon could digivolve… and I was pleased to find that Wingdramon and Taomon could! I then got everyone out of the farm island and called out all my Digimon and when everyone was gathered, Dianamon said: "Ah, more lucky Digimon are digivolving up to the mega level, Keisuke?" "Exactly! This time it's Wingdramon and Taomon!" I said. Wingdramon then beamed and said: "ALRIGHT! That news sure brightened up my day!" and Taomon said: "That's fantastic. After all this time… I'll finally finish digivolving!" "Yeah! So let's get started! Wingdramon, let's start with you." I said.

He then flew forward and I chose to digivolve him into a Slayerdramon. He then became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a Slayerdramon—he was humanoid and walked on two legs. He wore gray armor that had veins of yellow-orange… something… flowing on it. He had five gray horns, two of which were at the top of his head and three were in an upside-down triangle shape on his forehead. He had giant gray armor like a squid's head attached to his shoulders, gray armor covering his tail and a green cape bound to his back that went down to his ankles and was tattered at the bottom. He held a yellow-orange scimitar that looked like it was on fire and looked 9'10 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "That's some wonderful work, Slayerdramon. I'm glad you made it after all this time." Slayerdramon smiled and said: "I am too! I'm so happy, I could jump up into the air, if only I wouldn't hit my head on the ceiling…" and then everyone laughed before he went back to them."

I then prepared to digivolve Taomon. I chose to digivolve her into a Kuzuhamon—she was a humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs. She had a full-body black suit on and had purple, lightweight-looking armor over her chest, as well as purple rounded shoulder armor that looked huge. She had a black belt with a purple belt buckle that looked like a fox's head, as well as purple long gloves and purple boots with yin yang symbols over her toes. She had a purple helmet over her head that covered her eyes and looked like a fox's head (and her face had skin that looked like real human skin). She had very long black hair that was bound into two ponytails that went down to her ankles. She held a silver staff with a ring at the top and had what looked like black fairy wings on her back, although they were down and weren't moving. She looked 5'7 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Congratulations Kuzuhamon. You finally have reached the mega level, just like you always wanted!" and Kuzuhamon smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. It's all thanks to you and your support. Even though I can't digivolve anymore, I know I'll get even stronger working alongside you." I smiled and said: "Of course! You and the others can always count on that!" and Kuzuhamon went off with the others.

I then said: "Well, it looks like that about wraps up the digivolutions for this time—" but then Angewomon said: "What about LadyDevimon and me?" and then I said: "No. The terminal said you couldn't digivolve—" but then Angewomon said: "But we could DNA digivolve into a new Digimon—it's a process where two Digimon combine with each other into one and gain extraordinary power!" "That sounds great! And if it would make master happy, I'm all in!" LadyDevimon said. I wasn't sure what they were thinking… I hated everything about this idea. Angewomon and LadyDevimon combining into a single Digimon?! I couldn't stand even thinking about it!

"No! That's ridiculous! We're not doing that!" I said. Angewomon and LadyDevimon suddenly looked genuinely surprised (as did the rest of my Digimon) and Angewomon finally said: "…Why?" "Because I adore you both the way you are! I hate the idea of you both combining into one Digimon—I can't even comprehend the thought of you becoming that different! You both are perfect just the way you are and I don't want you to be any less of yourselves than you are as individuals! I am not DNA digivolving you!" I said.

By now, Angewomon and LadyDevimon were smiling widely and LadyDevimon said: "Master…" and then she came up and hugged me before she said: "I'm so glad you like me for who I am that much! You're the best!" I then hugged her back and said: "I really do enjoy your personality just the way it is, LadyDevimon. I really should have told you that sooner, and because I didn't, I'm sorry. But you really are such a special Digimon." And then I looked over her shoulder and said: "And that goes for the rest of you, too! You're all fantastic companions."

Eventually, LadyDevimon let go and then Angewomon came up and hugged me too before she said: "Thank you, Keisuke… even though I was hoping to digivolve, hearing you accept me for who I am that much makes me much happier than digivolving. I didn't think suggesting DNA digivolution would get you so fired up, but it means a lot to me to know that you enjoy who we are to that degree, that it would get you so emotional to think of us even becoming different. We are lucky to have you as a tamer." And I said: "And I'm happy to have you all as partners. You all really bring a lot of joy into my work. After all we've been through, hacking wouldn't be the same without all of you."

We all smiled and I eventually put Angewomon, Ouryumon, Blanc, Dianamon, MegaSeadramon, DoruGreymon, BlackWarGreymon, Ciel and LadyDevimon in my phone (leaving Slayerdramon and Kuzuhamon in the farm island) and then left the Digilab before I started researching Arcadiamon's activities…


	38. Simon: A new world

Simon Chapter 19—A new world—

Life from that point on was pretty hectic… Digimon were attacking humans and those who didn't have them had to be defended by soldiers… it was so sad having to see our species pit against each other because of the Royal Knights… but the ironic thing was seeing how few Digimon actually wanted to fight. Most of them just wandered around and complained about how much they wanted to go home. The number that was loyal to the Royal Knights was actually a small minority. At least I could walk around with my Digimon at my side now, though. It was nice to be around them anytime, rather than having to wait for us to enter cyberspace.

The next day, I went into Kyoko's office, only to find Nokia, Arata and Yuuko there with Kyoko! Even Omnimon was in here, although he barely could fit… he had to sit and hunch over to avoid hitting the ceiling. "Hey! It's good to see you, guys! Are we having a meeting?" I asked. At that moment, they all turned around and Kyoko said: "Good morning Simon—" before Yuuko smiled warmly and said: "Good morning Simon." And Nokia said: "Oh, Simon! Yeah, we were hoping to discuss our next move, now that the Paradise Lost plan ended in success…" and Arata said: "Yeah… I'm sorry, that was my fault…" before I said: "This isn't any time for blaming and self-pity, Arata! We need to stay focused!"

Arata then grinned and said: "Heh. That's my bud. You always know how to reach out to us." I smiled and then said: "You are right that we need to do something to stop the Royal Knights though, with Omnimon obviously not withstanding. If we do nothing, we could lose our world. So what were you guys talking about? Fill me in." Omnimon then said: "Since we couldn't stop the Royal Knights from entering, we simply have to defeat them. However, before we go off attacking them, I think we should try to ally with some of them first."

Yuuko then looked skeptical and said: "Um… are you sure? I thought the Royal Knights wanted to kill us?" Omnimon shook his head as he said: "Not all Royal Knights supported the Paradise Lost plan. I do not doubt that there are some that would come about to our side, if we were to persuade them." "Okay… but how do we know where to look?" Arata asked. "Being a Royal Knight myself, I can sense their presence; we all take up a large volume of data after all." Omnimon said. "I could also research events going on in Tokyo and see if I can draw any data on where they might be." Kyoko said. Omnimon then turned to Kyoko and said: "At the moment, I think it would be best if we both worked together to achieve our goal. We're going to need every bit of help we can get." "Agreed. You can leave the researching side of it to me, Omnimon." Kyoko said.

"Excellent. I appreciate your support." Omnimon said. Nokia then turned to Omnimon and said: "So Omnimon, do you know where our allies-to-be are located?" "I can only sense them; I can't actually tell one from another. But with our strength, I think even if we were to run into one, we could hold our ground and win. That's why I'm eager to strike while the iron's still hot, especially since we're in a time of crisis." Omnimon replied. "Alright… So where do you sense one, then?" Nokia asked.

"Currently I sense a large volume of data in—" Omnimon began, but then we heard the door open! We all then turned to see Makiko! "Hello, Makiko. What brings you here today?" Kyoko asked. "Grr! This isn't any time to be nonchalant! Do you even know what that boy's been charged with?!" Makiko said as she pointed to Arata. "What?" I asked. Makiko shook her head before she said: "Because of his involvement with the power outage, he's been blamed for the Digimon outbreak. A warrant was recently issued for his arrest. He's as good as an enemy of the state right now."

"Give me a break! How could they think one boy could have done all this?!" I asked. Arata then grinned and said: "Is that so? So you've come to bring me in, then?" Makiko shook her head and looked Arata squarely in the eyes before she said: "You listen to me, kid—my boss believes you're innocent and is willing to put you under police protection until we can prove it. This is a really lucky break for you. So come along and don't attract any attention, okay?"

Arata then started laughing before he said: "Yeah right! A warrant was issued for my arrest and yet your boss believes me for some reason? You really expect me to believe that? Ha ha ha! You must think I'm a fool!" Makiko shook her head before she said: "Ugh… this is why I hate dealing with idiots…" and then she went on: "I know what this looks like, but I'm really not trying to trick you! And you can't possibly strike it out on your own—you wouldn't last for half a day! It's actually really nice of my boss to offer you safety instead of imprisonment." "Even if it was true… I couldn't just sit around and wait at a time like this! Besides, who ever heard of a hacker doing something just because an adult told them to?" Arata asked.

"You have a real gift for testing my patience…" Makiko said before Arata started using his phone for some reason… "HEY! It's rude to text when someone's talking to you! Are you even listening to me?!" Makiko asked. But then his Infermon appeared!

We were all shocked and Nokia said: "Arata?! What are you doing?!" and Makiko backed away and said: "Yuck! What is that thing?!" and Arata smiled and said: "Ha ha ha! It's pretty handy being able to summon Digimon whenever and wherever I want!" He then turned to us and said: "Sorry guys, but I've got to go! It was really fun hanging out with all of you. Good luck in the battle with the Royal Knights!" And then he turned to Infermon and said: "Infermon, let's take a walk, yeah?" and Infermon said: "Sounds like a plan!" and they headed to the doorway, where Makiko was…

Arata then said: "Out of the way." "You… are you threatening me?!" Makiko asked. "Normally I wouldn't, but since I'm already a fugitive, I doubt this'll make things any worse. Now move over." Arata said. "Ugh…" Makiko said before she stepped aside. Arata and Infermon then ran out! Makiko then turned to all of us and said: "I'm going to have to try and call for backup to catch him and bring him to my boss before it's too late… sorry, but I've got to go." And she walked out too…

We all were silent for a moment before Nokia finally said: "What is Arata thinking?! How can he go out there when he knows he's an enemy of the state?" "It's his way. Besides, he probably wants to avoid spending time around us so the party that issued the warrant won't think we're in cahoots with him. He's doing it to protect us." Yuuko said. "I agree completely Yuuko, especially with you saying it's his way… he may be headstrong, but that's the way he does things." Kyoko said. She then went on: "Well, since there's no more we can do for Arata, we'd best get back on track. Omnimon, I believe you were saying you knew where a Royal Knight was?" "Yes… I was going to say that I sense one in Akihabara. I'm hoping it's Gallantmon, my best friend in the Royal Knights. I do not doubt he would readily join us." Omnimon said. "And if it's someone else?" Yuuko asked. "Then we'll have to either work harder to earn their loyalty or destroy them outright accordingly." Omnimon said. "Good thing we're so strong then! Simon, are you up for this?" Nokia asked. "You bet! What about you, Yuuko?" I asked.

"Sorry, but I've been really busy with work. I can't come this time." Yuuko said. "You got a job, Yuuko?" Nokia asked. "Yes. Let me explain: ever since Crusadermon left Rie's body, the employees at Kamishiro have cleaned house and kicked out all of the corrupt executives that were working with Rie. The people that Rie blamed who were framed and discarded were also rehired and Kamishiro is trying to help everyone now. And they put me on staff." Yuuko replied. "Wow! You were hired at Kamishiro, Yuuko?" I asked. "Yes." Yuuko said back. "That's great! They got just the right girl for the job then!" I said.

Yuuko smiled back before Nokia said: "Wow! Alright Yuuko! But if Crusadermon left Rie's body… do they know what happened to it?" "Yes. It turns out Rie has EDEN Syndrome—" Yuuko began and then Nokia and I said: "WHAT?!" Before Yuuko said: "Yes… no one knows when she got it, but at some point in recent history, Rie acquired it. Shortly thereafter, it looks like Crusadermon somehow became aware that it was vacant, targeted it and entered it, effectively possessing Rie and allowing Rie's body to continue working normally. After Crusadermon left Rie's body, it was found shortly thereafter and that's how we know. But now that Crusadermon has left it…" and then she went on: "It's like pulling the power chord on a machine… Rie has gone back to being in a comatose state and isn't showing any signs of waking up. I actually checked on Rie a bit before she was moved to the Special Ward of the hospital, which is off-limits to just about everyone… I wanted her to wake up before that happened, so I could apologize to her for what I said when she was possessed by Crusadermon and I didn't know…"

"Don't worry Yuuko—she'll wake up someday. And I'm sure she'll understand when she does." I said. Yuuko gave me a faint smile before she said: "Anyway, I've got to get going. Good luck you two—I know you'll do great." And then she walked out. Nokia then turned to me and said: "Well it looks like it's up to us then! Let's go, Simon, Omnimon!" We nodded and then left for Akihabara.

When we arrived, Omnimon said: "Here we are… a Royal Knight will doubtlessly be here." He then turned to me and said: "You'd better have your Digimon ready in advance, Simon. Just in case." I nodded and called out Scott, Pepper and Daisy and we went through the streets, until we saw a Digimon approaching some humans… it was humanoid and walked on two legs. It had brown armor up to its knees, on the back of the rest of its legs and all over its arms. It had white armor over its thighs and torso. It had a red sash bound around its waist and white wings on its back, a thin brown tail with a yellow pom-pom and a brown helmet like a leopard's head with red eyes and big ears. It had a face that was blue on the upper half and white on the lower half. It held a very long rapier in its left hand, had waist length blonde hair and looked 6'6 tall.

I turned to Omnimon and saw he had a disturbed look on his face… it seemed the Digimon heard us though, because it turned to us and when it saw Omnimon, it lost interest in the other humans and walked up to us and said: "Well, well. Look what we have here…" and Omnimon said: "Grr, Leopardmon… I was hoping I would find another Royal Knight here." The Digimon then smirked before he said: "Heh-heh… sorry to disappoint you, Omnimon. But what's this I see? You're traveling with some human adolescents? Members of the very species who caused our misfortunes?"

Omnimon then frowned and said: "You idiot! The Eaters alone were what caused our misfortunes! And I don't think it's fair to blame humanity for the Eaters using the same channels we did to enter our world!" "Gah! Don't tell me their propaganda has turned your once powerful mind to mush! How utterly shameful!" Leopardmon said. And then he turned to Scott and said: "And you, Gallantmon! Have you really sided with them as well?" "You're the second Royal Knight to mistake me for him now. I'm not Gallantmon of the Royal Knights—I'm only a Digimon who worked hard and reached a high level with the help of my tamer. And I have a name, it's Scott." Scott said.

Leopardmon then looked shocked and said: "Impossible! No one's digivolved into a Gallantmon in many years! To think that some random Digimon would suddenly come by and pull it off… it's—" but then he returned to a normal stance and said: "…Although I would still rather believe such an explanation than have Gallantmon betray us, so I suppose I will." He then turned back to Omnimon and said: "And have you really forgotten your duty? You are an agent of King Drasil and it is your duty to kill those humans!" and then Nokia said: "How could you try to make things so horrible between humans and Digimon?! We don't want to fight you—Digimon are our friends! We want to help and we hate the Eaters just as much as you do!" Leopardmon turned to her and looked disgusted as he said: "Cease your human prattle or consider yourself dead. I don't have the patience to deal with liars." "Gee I wonder… it takes a pretty thuggish knight to threaten a woman." I said. "Humans don't count." Leopardmon answered. Omnimon then said: "King Drasil is benevolent and wise. That is why I do not believe it is his will to destroy humankind."

Leopardmon snickered before he said: "How could you not be clear on this? Do I really need to remind you it was King Drasil who approved the plan?! What more proof do you need?" "When you're desperate, you'll do things you wouldn't normally do. Also, it wasn't King Drasil's idea to make war on humans—it was yours, Leopardmon." Omnimon said. "You poor fool… you have completely lost your mind…" Leopardmon said. He then went on: "Since you insist on standing by those humans, I suppose that makes us enemies now, and you leave me no choice but to treat you as such." "Very well! Let's settle this then, Leopardmon!" Omnimon said.

He then flew at Leopardmon (and Leopardmon drew his rapier), but I thought I heard something… I looked up and saw a distant figure on a rooftop! It then spread its wings and… started swooping down at Omnimon! "Omnimon, look out! You've got an enemy coming from above!" I said. Omnimon then looked up, but by then it was too late—the creature had closed in and said: "Dragon's Roar!" and swiped at Omnimon with his hands! "Argh!" Omnimon said as he was knocked back.

The creature then landed and I could see it more clearly… it also walked on two legs, but it had two purple wings on its back as well. It had purple arms and legs and wore white armor over its chest, forearms, hips, legs and had three layers of white armor over its shoulders—they also had jagged, gold points coming out of them. There were gold points around the bottom of its chest armor and the top of the hip armor as well, a gold collar on the chest armor and had gold links over its chest armor, making its torso look like a face with teeth. It had circular gold ring armor with red slits around its knees and sharp-looking gold toes—it even had a white helm with horizontal horns that curved forward. It looked 6'8 tall.

When Omnimon stood up, he said: "Dynasmon?! You're with Leopardmon as well?" "I would follow any who would help me serve our king. I have not forgotten the fealty I pledged to King Drasil. That is why I am here to support my comrade-in-arms, Leopardmon—and to finish you off, Omnimon!" the Digimon said. Leopardmon then started to laugh arrogantly and tilted his head back as he said: "We can have this out here and now, Omnimon!" and he went back to looking straight ahead as Dynasmon said: "Indeed. I am not afraid to do away with traitors! En Garde!"

Scott, Pepper and Daisy then approached them before we heard a voice say: "Shield of the just!" and a beam of light came out of nowhere and struck Leopardmon! "Dyah! What…?" Leopardmon began, but then another Gallantmon came in! "You… I trust it's really you this time, Gallantmon?" Leopardmon said. "You are correct. It is I; Gallantmon of the Royal Knights!" the Gallantmon said. He then went on: "I think it's about time you both left. You've both made enough trouble for one day. Or would you rather 'have it out here and now' like Leopardmon said?"

"Why you…!" Dynasmon said as he approached Gallantmon, but then Leopardmon said: "Stop!" and then Dynasmon turned back to him before Leopardmon turned to Gallantmon and said: "Very well Gallantmon, we'll withdraw. But heed my words: this is not over and you have not won anything. As long as you continue to oppose us, a confrontation is inevitable—and we, the disciples of King Drasil, will win!" "You are no more fit to call yourselves disciples of King Drasil than I. Now go on and leave!" Gallantmon said. Leopardmon then went off and Dynasmon turned to Omnimon before he said: "Your luck, imbecile." And then he flew off.

Omnimon then turned to Gallantmon and said: "Gallantmon…! It's so good to see you!" and then Gallantmon said: "Yes, the feeling is mutual, old friend." They then walked up to each other and Omnimon said: "Have you been alright since you arrived in this world?" "Of course. No Digimon has targeted me yet—and because I'm not attacking them, I'm not attracting any attention from humans." Gallantmon replied. Nokia then walked up and said: "So this is your old buddy, Omnimon? He does seem very reliable." Gallantmon turned to her and said: "You have my thanks for saying that."

And then he turned to Scott and said: "But what's this I see? It seems I have a doppelganger…" I then said: "This is my Digimon, Scott. I digivolved him up from a Guilmon to the Gallantmon you see before you." "I see… I have never seen a Digimon digivolve into a Gallantmon after me. The fact that you were able to…" he said as he looked at Scott and went on: "…Must mean you had an amazing tamer." "I certainly did, and I am always thankful I met him." Scott replied. "How truly inspiring! I must say, I have been impressed at the dynamic I have seen between human and Digimon since I came here." Gallantmon said.

"I am glad you've had a chance to witness it yourself, Gallantmon." Omnimon said. "Quite so. And it seems that Scott here isn't the only one who has benefitted from such an arrangement. Even you too, Omnimon…" Gallantmon said and Omnimon looked at Nokia and said: "Yes. I owe it all to my tamer here that I reached this form again..." and then Nokia said: "Aww, thanks Omnimon! You're so kind as always!"

Gallantmon then smiled and I said: "And of course, we're happy to meet you too, Gallantmon. Omnimon had told us a little bit about you." "Ah, I see. I'm flattered I was brought up at a time like this." Gallantmon said. "Of course! You are a Digimon of great importance right now, Gallantmon!" Omnimon said. Gallantmon chuckled as Omnimon said: "But now that we've all met, I had a more serious matter at hand. Specifically, I had a favor I was hoping to ask of you—" and then Gallantmon said: "You don't have to say anything, Omnimon; you want my support against the Royal Knights that are running amok, don't you?" Omnimon laughed and said: "You know me too well, Gallantmon." "Don't worry; I will help you. I don't believe King Drasil would want to cause mass extinction like Leopardmon and the others do."

Nokia then smiled and said: "You will?! Aw, that's great! Thank you Gallantmon!" and then I said: "Yes—thank you. We really appreciate your support Gallantmon, and for more than a few reasons too!" Omnimon then smiled and nodded before he said: "You have my gratitude as well. I'm glad I can count on you." "Think nothing of it. You can contact me anytime you need me, Omnimon." Gallantmon said. "I'll remember that. Thank you and good luck, Gallantmon!" Omnimon said.

Soon the discussion wrapped up and Gallantmon left. Nokia, Omnimon and I then all turned to each other and Nokia said: "Well, we already have one Royal Knight behind us! That's a great start! Omnimon, do you know where more are?" "Not at the moment… maybe it would be wise to check with Kyoko to see if she has made any headway." Omnimon said. "Alright. I'll go do that now." I said. And I started to turn around to leave, but then I heard Nokia say: "Hold on, Simon!" and I turned around and said: "Hmm…?" and Nokia went on: "I know befriending Royal Knights is important and all, but… don't you think we should be helping the Digimon too?"

I couldn't help but think Nokia's idea was very good—not that many Digimon who were here were hostile, after all. "That is a good idea, Nokia. But how are you planning on doing so?" I asked. "I wanted to make a server for all of those poor lost Digimon! That way they could have somewhere safe they could stay and they could live constructively instead of attacking people! Two birds with one stone, right?" Nokia asked.

When I heard this, I smiled and said: "That sounds like a great idea! But even so, are you sure one server is enough?" "Huh?" Nokia said. "Right now, there are four kinds of Digimon that can each belong to one of nine elements. That means there are going to be a lot of different Digimon with different kinds of places they'd prefer to live. So I think it would be a better idea to construct different servers for different kinds of Digimon—we could have a beachside server for Digimon that like water for example, a wooded server for Digimon that like nature, a playground server for young Digimon… things like that." I said. Nokia then smiled and said: "An excellent idea Simon, once again! Now let's get the rest of the Heroes' Network together and build it!" I smiled and said: "I like your thinking! Alright, let's do it!"

And then we contacted Yasu, Daisuke, Haruka, Takashi, Megumi and Yasanori and we told them about our idea, which they agreed to help with. We all worked together and built a total of ten servers—one for each element, plus one for young Digimon—for Digimon to stay in. We then started to work to split up and find Digimon that we could invite to the servers. That took the rest of the day, although between all of us, we did find quite a few.

The next day, I went into Kyoko's office and she looked up as I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Do we have any cases in today?" "Yes we do. We have a client coming in about 15 minutes actually, so I'm glad you came in, Simon." Kyoko said. "That's great! I'll stick around here until they arrive, then." I said. I then waited and eventually the door opened and I saw who the client was: Makiko!

Kyoko then looked up and said: "Good morning Makiko. It's good to see you back in." and I said: "Good to see you back in, Makiko! What's the case this time?" Makiko nodded and said: "Thank you both. It's always nice to receive more courtesy from you and Simon than I do from most of the people I deal with…" I then said: "So let me guess… this has something to do with Arata, right?" "You're worried about that kid, aren't you? Well I guess you have every right to be—he _is_ a fugitive after all." Makiko said. She then went on: "Well no, although I am still looking for him. But that's not what I came here today to discuss. I was merely here to bring the real client to you." Kyoko then looked puzzled as she said: "The real client? Who might that be?" "I'll introduce you to him now…" Makiko said as she went to the doorway and then turned her head outside as she said: "It's alright. You can come in now."

And then a Lopmon came in! Kyoko then grinned and said: "Ah, so a Digimon is our client. That's a first in our agency's history." Makiko then went on: "This is Lopmon. He's the one who had a request for you to look into." And Lopmon then said: "Yes! I was hoping you could help me find my friend, Tokomon." I then tilted my head a little as I said: "So you want us to find one Digimon that could be anywhere in Tokyo or EDEN? That's actually a pretty big job. Do you know where he ended up?" Lopmon then looked down as he said: "No, unfortunately… we got separated when we came here." "Hmm… does he have any identifiable characteristics that would make him different than any other Tokomon?" I asked. "No, not really…" Lopmon said.

I then paused before I said: "Please understand, but I'm not going to take this request as a case." And Lopmon looked down as he said: "Oh…" and Makiko looked angry now and said: "What?! Why?!" "Because the time and resources that would go into it would not justify doing it right now. The Royal Knights are planning to destroy our world and time is short—spending it searching for one Digimon with no ties to the Royal Knights would be counterintuitive." I said. "Come on! You took lots of tough cases for me! Why should a Digimon be any different?!" Makiko asked.

"Him being a Digimon has nothing to do with it. However—while I am not willing to take this as a formal case—I will keep my eyes open." I said. Lopmon then looked up and said: "You will?!" "Yes. I travel around Tokyo and EDEN a lot and if I see him, I will help him find you." I said. Lopmon then started jumping up and down and said: "Thank you! I appreciate it!" and Makiko sighed before she said: "I guess that's the best we could hope for…" but then Lopmon said: "But there's just one problem…" and I said: "What's that?" "I don't have anywhere to stay, so I wouldn't have a place to meet Tokomon…" Lopmon said. "Not a problem. My friends and I have created ten servers for Digimon, each designed to accommodate their needs. We would be happy to take you to one to stay in, Lopmon. It'd be safe and you'd be around other Digimon too." I said.

"You… you'd give me a place to live?!" Lopmon said. "Of course! We've already been bringing in other needy Digimon too!" I said. "Oh, that's great! Thank you, nice man!" Lopmon said. I smiled and said: "Sure. Now come on—I'll take you to the server." Lopmon nodded and Makiko said: "You be sure and take good care of him!" before she went on: "Well now that that's been sorted out, I've got to go—an officer's work is never done after all, especially now." She then looked at Lopmon and said: "Goodbye, Lopmon. Good luck in your new home." "Thank you, Makiko! Maybe we can travel together again someday!" Lopmon said. Makiko smiled and said: "I'd like that. See you then, Lopmon." And she left.

I then showed Lopmon to the server I had talked about, which was for earth Digimon—it was a mountainous region with rocks and dirt ground with sprouts and plants in it. It also had a sandbox here too. When Lopmon saw it, he said: "Wow! Look at this place! This is nice!" he ran over to the dirt ground and I said: "I'm glad you like it. I'll be off to search now, Lopmon—please be patient." "Of course! Good luck and I hope to see you soon!" Lopmon said.

I then returned to Kyoko's office and when I arrived, she looked up and I said: "Hi again, Kyoko. I was checking to see how your research into the Royal Knights' locations was coming along?" "It's almost done, but not finished yet. Why don't you look for that Tokomon until then?" Kyoko asked. I grinned and said: "A fine idea. I'll be off!"

And then I left. I decided to search EDEN first (since it was less dangerous) and looked around. I searched all of Kowloon, but didn't find any Tokomon there… I then searched the EDEN areas where people met. I had no luck at first and I kept on going… but then I thought I saw a whitish-pink thing near a white box out of the corner of my eye… I then took a closer look… and saw a Tokomon! When it saw me, it said: "Ahhh! Please don't eat me! I don't taste yummy at all!" and then I said: "Relax. I don't want to hurt you. I just wanted to ask you something."

Tokomon then looked more relaxed before he said: "You… you wanted to ask me something? What is it?" "I know a Lopmon who is looking for a Tokomon friend of his. He's very worried and wants to find him soon. Would that Tokomon be you?" I asked and then Tokomon's head shot up as he said: "You know Lopmon?" and then he went on: "Er… sorry. I didn't even answer your question… well yeah, I'm looking for a Lopmon like that. He was my friend from the Digital World and we got separated. I've been worried about him ever since…" I smiled and said: "That's great! Do you want me to take you to him?" "How? Do you even know where he is?" Tokomon asked. "Yes! He's on a special server that my friends and I built for Digimon!" I said. "Really?! Yes, that'd be great!" Tokomon said. "Great! Come along, then!" I said.

I then took Tokomon to the server where Lopmon was and eventually we found him playing in the sandbox… Tokomon then smiled and said: "Lopmon! You're okay!" Lopmon then immediately turned around and said: "Tokomon!" Tokomon then hopped over to Lopmon and into the sandbox before he said: "I'm so relieved you're safe!" and Lopmon said: "Me too! Where did you end up?" "I ended up in a human cyberspace… I think it was called EDEN…" Tokomon said. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was worried sick! But now that we've found each other, why don't we put that behind us? How about we play in the sand instead?" Lopmon asked. Tokomon smiled and said: "I like that idea!" and they started kicking it up before I laughed and said: "What delightful Digimon you are." They both turned to me and I said: "Well as long as Lopmon's here, what about you, Tokomon? Do you want to stay in our server too?" Tokomon then smiled and said: "Yeah! I like that idea!"

I smiled back and said: "That's great!" and then I went on: "Now normally I'd invite you to the server that's specifically designed for in training Digimon, but it looks like you'd rather stay here with Lopmon, right?" "Yeah! I don't want to go off somewhere without Lopmon!" Tokomon said. "…Okay. I'll make an exception this time then. Welcome to our server, Tokomon!" I said. "Thanks! It's good to be here!" Tokomon said.

I then left them to play together as I exited our server and decided to text Makiko to let her know I had finished Lopmon's request. After I sent her a message, I went back to the office to check how Kyoko's research into the Royal Knights was coming. When I arrived, I entered and Kyoko looked up as I said: "Hi Kyoko." And she said: "Hello Simon. How is your search for Tokomon going? Did you find anything yet?" "Yes, actually! I found the Tokomon Lopmon was looking for in EDEN and brought him back to Lopmon!" I said. "Really? That was very, very quick—you have some amazingly good luck, Simon." Kyoko said. I chuckled and said: "Thanks. But speaking of searching, what about you, Kyoko? Have you found any Royal Knights?" "Yes, I have. I have pinpointed the locations of four of them—they are: Examon in Odaiba, Magnamon in Shibuya, Gankoomon in Ueno and Kentaurosmon in EDEN." Kyoko said.

She then went on: "However, I would caution you to stay away from Examon—he is amazingly dangerous and brutal and has caused many deaths. Based on the reports, it looks like he would be too much for even the combined powers of you, Nokia and Omnimon, Yuuko, and Gallantmon now, yet alone just you… so you should stay away from him until later." "Okay, so Examon is out for now… I guess I'll go look for Magnamon in Shibuya first then." I said. "A fine idea. Good luck then, Simon." Kyoko said.

I then went to Shibuya and searched the city, but couldn't find Magnamon anywhere… I was just about to leave and give up, when I headed by a subway and saw a purple light coming up into the street… just like in Shinjuku with Arata… there must be a digital shift down there. I then changed my mind and headed down the stairs into the digital shift. I didn't want to leave any stone unturned!

I then headed deeper into the digital shift—having some battles with Digimon along the way—until I was deep underground and in a darkly lit place at the end of some railroad tracks for the underground subway. In the distance, I thought I saw something golden and blue… I went to take a closer look and saw a Digimon there! It had blue arms, hands, thighs and a blue torso with a white underbelly and everywhere else was covered with gold armor. This included a gold mask, a gold chest plate, two gold wings coming out of its shoulders, gold forearm guards, a gold tasset and gold boots. It looked 5 feet tall but it was floating, making it appear taller.

It definitely didn't look like any other Digimon I had seen… it seemed it noticed me though, because the Digimon turned around and said: "Hm? I didn't expect to see any humans down here. What are you doing in such a place?" "I am looking for the Royal Knight, Magnamon. Might that be you?" I asked. "You are correct; I am Magnamon of the Royal Knights. But… what do you want from me?" he asked.

"We are looking for Royal Knights to help us stop the rampage of the Royal Knights like Leopardmon and Crusadermon and keep our world from being destroyed. We want to exist harmoniously with Digimon instead of having our species in conflict." I said. "So you want my support then…" Magnamon said. He then went on: "But I must admit, I am divided on the matter. After all, some tamers mistreat their Digimon and exploit them, while others cherish them and care very much for their Digimon. It's odd seeing no existing consensus within your species as to what Digimon are. I really don't understand you humans… Which side truly embodies what humanity is about?"

"There is no good answer to that question." I said. Magnamon looked at me for a minute before he said: "I certainly didn't expect an answer like that. You really can't say any more than that?" "Of course I can. The problem with how you're trying to categorize humans is the fundamental assumption that humans can be grouped into a single category. But this is not how we are… humans are too diverse to stereotype as any one thing. Digimon are too… that is evident between the Royal Knights alone and in the Digimon here… some choose to fight humans while others avoid doing so entirely and look for a way to go back to the Digital World, and yet alone all of the Digimon as an entire species… they cannot be stereotyped. In that sense, we are virtually the same. But with that being said… if you can trust the Digimon, why can't you trust us?" I asked.

"Hmph. Your response is wise and indicates just how well you understand Digimon. But even so, if that is the best answer you can give me, then I suppose I have no other choice but to judge you based on my original criteria…" Magnamon began and then I said: "And what might that be?" "There are two Digimon children that I was looking after… they are very young and don't have any living family members. They were taken with me into this world when we were brought in by Crusadermon. As long as you can't reassure me any more than you have, I will judge humanity based on what happens to these Digimon." Magnamon said. "Might they be a Lopmon and a Tokomon?" I asked.

Magnamon's eyes widened and he looked dumbfounded before he said: "That's correct! But how did you know that…?" I smiled and said: "I thought so. The Digimon you were describing sounded a lot like them." "Well as long as I'm looking for them, I don't suppose you'd care to tell me where they are? I don't think I need to point out that this would be a good chance to demonstrate your species' redeeming qualities." Magnamon said. "I'd be happy to. Come with me." I said.

I then led Magnamon out of the digital shift and went with him to a nearby terminal and logged into the hall of heroes. When we arrived, Magnamon looked around and said: "Are they here?" "No. They're in a server accessible from here that me and my friends built for Digimon who need a safe place to stay until this madness is all sorted out." I said. "You… you made a server for Digimon to live…?" Magnamon asked before I said: "Well actually, the server they're on is only one of them. There are technically ten servers that we customized to suit the needs of different kinds of Digimon." "And you did all of this as an act of charity for the Digimon?" Magnamon asked. "Of course! We love the Digimon!" I said.

Magnamon was starting to look impressed, but then we heard a: "Oh! Simon!" and we turned around and saw Nokia and Omnimon coming up! "Ah, Nokia and Omnimon! What wonderful timing!" I said. As they approached, Omnimon looked surprised and said: "Magnamon! I didn't expect to see you here!" Yet Magnamon didn't respond at first and he eventually said: "Omnimon… why are you with that human?" Omnimon then grinned before he said: "Ah yes. Let me introduce you. This human here is Nokia. She is my tamer." "Wh-what?! You actually came to respect a human enough to…?!" Magnamon said and Omnimon said: "Yes. Nokia always treated me with unconditional kindness and kept my spirits up, even in dark times. I came to experience hope and kinship that I never felt alone in the Digital World, and so she earned my trust."

Nokia smiled and said: "Aww, thanks Omnimon! And you've been such a faithful partner too! I always knew I could count on you!" she then went on: "And welcome, Magnamon!" Magnamon looked surprised before he said: "You would welcome me in your midst? Without knowing who I am?" "Hey, any friend of Omnimon's is a friend of mine!" Nokia replied. Magnamon still looked dumbfounded and I chuckled before I said: "Anyway, come on—Lopmon and Tokomon will be happy to see you." And we went to the server they were in.

When we arrived, I took Magnamon to them. Amusingly enough, they were still in the sandbox, right where I left them… however, when Magnamon saw them, he said: "Tokomon! Lopmon!" and floated over to them as they turned their heads and said: "Magnamon!" and ran up to him. When he arrived, he smiled and said: "I'm so glad to see you're safe! Have these humans been treating you right?" "Yes! Their group of tamers—the Heroes' Network—gave us a safe place to live!" Tokomon said. "And they have food and water out for us and come by to check on us and make sure we're okay! They're great people!" Lopmon said.

Magnamon then looked relived before he said: "That is such a relief. And I'm so happy to see you're both alright." "Of course! We love it here!" Lopmon said. Magnamon then looked down before he said: "And to think of what a fool I've been… all this time I kept my head in the sand with worry when I should have been looking for you…" "It's understandable, Magnamon. It's hard for anyone to think at their best when they're worried, whether human or Digimon." I said.

"Thank you. You've all been so exceptional and have proven what leaders you are in the face of disaster…" Magnamon said. "It certainly is a disaster. But then, that's nothing we can't overcome—I was taught that things will always work out if you put your mind to them and it was a human who taught me that. A human named Nokia." Omnimon replied. "Omnimon, you need not say any more. I now can see what I should have before." Magnamon said. He then turned to Nokia and me and said: "Please forgive how rude I was before. I will be happy to support your species against the other Royal Knights' incursion." "Alright! We're glad to have you on board, Magnamon." I said. "Think nothing of it. I am happy to support you and I will always be your ally. You can call on me any time you need me." Magnamon said. "Great! Thank you, Magnamon!" Nokia said. "Well I'm glad that went so well for everyone! Shall I escort you back to Shibuya, Magnamon?" I asked. "That won't be necessary. All I need is to log out of this server." Magnamon said. "Sure. I'll show you out." I said. I then took Magnamon out and logged out with him before he thanked me again and left.


	39. Keisuke: Crush hour in Shibuya

Keisuke Chapter 20—Crush hour in Shibuya—

The next day, I went into Hudie and prepared to check for cases on the BBS. I sat down at a cubicle, but before I could do anything, I heard a: "Keisuke? Do you have a minute?" It was Erika. I turned around and said: "Of course I do, Erika. What is it?" "I just wanted to let you know I've looked into Arcadiamon… it looks like he's moved to EDEN now… and now he's only attacking Digimon that belong to tamers." Erika said. "So he's only targeting Digimon that belong to tamers? Why would he do that…?" I asked. Erika shook her head before she said: "I have no idea. But I just thought I'd warn you so if you're on business in EDEN, you'd know to keep your guard up." I nodded and said: "Okay thanks. I'll remember that."

Erika nodded and then went back to her office. I then resumed logging in and checking the BBS. When I was there, I saw we had a case… and it was from Nokia! She said she wanted our help to locate some Digimon in Shibuya…

I wasn't sure which Digimon she was talking about, but it sounded important, so I took it. The information on the page then updated and it said I should meet her there. I then departed for Shibuya.

When I arrived, I went through the streets until I saw her and another guy there… but it wasn't Simon. He must be a member of their tamer group. Nokia soon turned around and when she spotted me, she waved at me and I approached her before she said: "Keisuke! Thanks for coming!" I then grinned and said: "Hi Nokia. It's been a while." "Yeah! We haven't seen you since Under Zero!" Nokia said. I nodded and then said: "Where's Simon?" "He's off on business. We're sure keeping busy with all of the destruction that's been going on everywhere…" she said before she went on: "I'm sorry about the Paradise Lost plan succeeding… my friends and I all tried to stop it, but we totally blew it…"

"Now's not the time for apologies, Nokia—it's the time for action." I replied. "Yes, you're right! And on that note, we wanted to talk about the Heroes' Network's plan for action!" Nokia said. "Please do." I said. "Well ever since the Paradise Lost plan succeeded, Digimon and humans have been sharing space in the same world together… but don't you find it strange how little fighting is actually going on? Most of the Digimon here don't even want to fight but just talk about how much they want to go home." Nokia said.

"Well now that you mention it, that's true… the amount of bloodshed failed to meet anyone's expectations, whether human or Digimon." I said. "Right! When we saw that, we knew it would be a good opportunity to diffuse the situation and make the bad Royal Knights' plan lose momentum, as well as keep the Digimon out of trouble… so we made a special cyberspace for Digimon! It's like a nature preserve for different Digimon with a habitat for each kind! We're looking for nonviolent Digimon to come so they can be safe and not join the other side." Nokia said. "That's actually pretty clever… but where do I fit in all of this?" I asked.

"I want you to go with one of our members here—Yasu—and help look for some Digimon to bring in! Search Shibuya from corner to corner, okay?" Nokia asked. "Okay! Leave it to us!" I said. "Great! Alright, Keisuke, Yasu—bye for now!" Nokia said. And then she walked off. Once she was gone, Yasu said: "Man… Nokia's so cool, isn't she?" "She's gotten better as a leader, it seems. She really is a real rising star." I said. "Yeah. She's a real winning combination too, cuteness and coolness, heh-heh…" Yasu said. I was surprised at his response and didn't say anything before he turned to me and said: "Anyway, come on. We've got a big search ahead of us." "Right!" I said.

We then searched Shibuya and gradually managed to find some Digimon one-by-one (Yasu took care of sending them to the server) and we kept on going. Eventually though, we heard a scream nearby! "What was that?" I asked. "No clue… but we can't ignore it! Let's go!" Yasu said. I nodded and we tried to go in the direction we heard it come from… and traced it back to a short Digimon being attacked by two guys with Digimon… they must be tamers! The Digimon walked on four legs with white feet and had a green back with blue stripes on it (as well as a green tail), a white underbelly and a yellow-orange colored crest on its back. It had a tail and looked 1'2 tall without the crest (and 2 feet tall with it).

When we saw this, Yasu and I ran in and I yelled: "HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" "Eh? What's this?" one of the tamers asked. "What do you think you're doing?" Yasu asked. "This Betamon bumped into my Digimon, so I'm teaching it a little lesson." One of the tamers said. "Yeah!" The other one said. "You'd bully a Digimon just because it bumped your Digimon?" Yasu asked. "What of it? I'm just teaching it some manners." The first tamer said.

"You loser… you're an embarrassment to us!" I said. "WHAT'D YOU SAY?" the first tamer asked. "He's right. Your idiocy is giving us a bad name!" Yasu said. "Heh-heh… maybe I should teach you some manners instead." The first tamer said. "Keisuke! I've got this one! You handle the other one!" Yasu said. I then approached the other one and the other tamer said: "I'm going to enjoy this! Bring it!"

He then called out three Digimon… one looked like a tall monkey—it had orange fur with a pale white underbelly, and walked on two legs with two arms and a head that had eyes that were covered by sunglasses. It also had a belt with a yellow teddy bear on one side and a mic on the other. It looked 5'5 tall. The other was a strange humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs and had a pumpkin for a head with bright yellow eyes… it wore a full-body white suit and had a yellow-green cape bound around its neck—it also had a tomahawk stuck in its stem… it was short and looked 3'10 tall. The last one looked like a giant teddy bear with a white underbelly that had an x-shaped bandage over its navel… it had a white muzzle and the inside of its ears were white too. Even though it looked like a teddy bear, it had creepy red eyes that looked like crescents on their sides and I was positive I saw a zipper on its back too… it looked 6'2 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Left to right: Etemon scan data: 10%, Pumpkinmon scan data: 10%, Monzaemon scan data: 10%." It said that Etemon was a virus Digimon, Pumpkinmon was a data Digimon and Monzaemon was a vaccine Digimon, so this would be a versatile bunch… I decided to call in Ouryumon, DoruGreymon and LadyDevimon. I then said: "Ouryumon, pump everyone up! Attack charge field! DoruGreymon, hit Monzaemon with a metal meteor!" Ouryumon then said: "Attack charge field!" and strengthened the damage our side could do with non-magic attacks. DoruGreymon then said: "Metal meteor!" and conjured a boulder above his head before he sent it flying at Monzaemon! Monzaemon recoiled, but got up anyway. "Etemon, hit DoruGreymon with a nightmare 3! Pumpkinmon, use trick or treat on Ouryumon! Monzaemon, use heavy strike 3 on LadyDevimon!" the tamer said. Etemon then said: Nightmare 3!" and made dark purple energy form around DoruGreymon and burst—he took it pretty hard, too! Pumpkinmon then said: "Trick or treat!" and conjured a giant pumpkin over his head and hurled it at Ouryumon! Monzaemon then said: "Heavy strike 3!" and ran up to LadyDevimon before he punched her! She got up from it and then said: "Darkness wave!" and made bats crackling with magic energy fly into the tamer's Digimon, then another wave came and did it again!

I then said: "Ouryumon, give everyone a boost again! DoruGreymon, hit Monzaemon with another metal meteor!" and they repeated their previous actions. The tamer then said: "Etemon, hit DoruGreymon with another nightmare 3! Pumpkinmon, hit Ouryumon with trick or treat! Monzaemon, use heavy strike 3 on LadyDevimon!" and then they all attacked as they had in the previous round before LadyDevimon said: "Darkness wave!" and made the bats attack again twice.

"Now's the time to get going, guys! Etemon—love serenade! Monzaemon, use mach rush 3!" the tamer said and Etemon then said: "Love serenade!" and held up his microphone to his mouth before he started singing into it—and the microphone projected his voice extremely loud! All three of my Digimon took the hit hard and then Monzaemon said: "Mach rush 3!" and charged at my Digimon before a shockwave knocked them all down! Much to my surprise, DoruGreymon and LadyDevimon were down after both hits! "DoruGreymon! LadyDevimon!" I said. "Argh… how humiliating…" DoruGreymon said. "I'm sorry, master…" LadyDevimon said. "Don't be. You both kept the pressure on him." I said. I then called them back and the boy said: "Tch! Is that all you've got?" I then replied by saying: "Not by a long shot. But you might not want to get arrogant yet. Ouryumon—rip that Etemon apart! Eiseiryuoujin!" and Ouryumon flew at Etemon fast and said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and then slashed at him with his cutlasses before Etemon fell over and was soundly down! "Wh-what?! Taken down just like that…?!" the tamer said and I saw he didn't call in any more Digimon, so I called in Dianamon and BlackWarGreymon.

The tamer then said: "Grr! This is getting bad! Monzaemon—use hearts attack on Pumpkinmon! Pumpkinmon, use texture blow on BlackWarGreymon!" and Monzaemon walked up to Pumpkinmon and said: "Hearts attack!" and he gave Pumpkinmon a big hug before setting him down and Pumpkinmon looked thoroughly revitalized! Pumpkinmon then said: "Texture blow!" and ran up to BlackWarGreymon and hit him—but then BlackWarGreymon turned into an 8-bit version of himself all of a sudden! "What the…?!" I said and then the tamer laughed and said: "Haven't you ever heard of the dot status condition? It's where Digimon become 8-bit versions of themselves and can only spray blocky bubbles that do virtually nothing. Your BlackWarGreymon isn't a threat to me now! Ha ha ha ha!"

I had to admit, this guy had chosen his Digimon well… the Pumpkinmon was annoying, but I needed that Monzaemon gone if it could completely heal! I decided to call BlackWarGreymon back and send in Blanc. I then said: "Blanc, use protect wave! Ouryumon, attack Monzaemon with Eiseiryuoujin!" and Ouryumon said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and flew at Monzaemon and slashed at him before Blanc said: "Protect wave!" and yellow barriers appeared around all of my Digimon. The tamer then said: "Monzaemon, use hearts attack on yourself! Pumpkinmon, use texture blow on Dianamon!" and Monzaemon said: "Hearts attack!" and tried to hug himself… before he was fully revitalized… Pumpkinmon then said: "Texture blow!" and hit Dianamon… but she didn't even react to being hit. She didn't get dotted either.

The tamer then looked shocked and said: "WHAT?! No way!" I then said: "Ouryumon, hit Monzaemon with an Eiseiryuoujin! Dianamon, you follow up with good night moon! Blanc, use divine pierce!" and Ouryumon then slashed at Monzaemon before Dianamon said: "Good night moon!" and she ascended into the air over Monzaemon (and her boots began to glow with a bright white light) and her boots shined and the light knocked Monzaemon down! He even stayed down and started to snore after the hit! "Dargh! Not Monzaemon!" the tamer said and I said: "That's what it feels like getting hit by status conditions." And Blanc said: "Divine pierce!" and ascended into the air and held her trident up before it became electrically charged and she pointed it at Monzaemon and zapped him with a beam of light, which didn't wake him up. "Grr! Pumpkinmon, use trick or treat on the Sistermon!" the tamer said and Pumpkinmon said: "Trick or treat!" and flung a pumpkin at her.

Blanc and Ouryumon then attacked Monzaemon with the same attacks and he still wouldn't wake up… but then his tamer called him back—it looks like we took him down! I then called Ouryumon back and sent BlackWarGreymon out and then said: "Dianamon, hit Pumpkinmon with good night moon!" and then she said: "Good night moon!" and repeated the same trick against Pumpkinmon—but he didn't fall asleep. His tamer looked profoundly relieved and said: "Pumpkinmon, hit Sistermon with comet hammer 3!" and Pumpkinmon said: "Comet hammer 3!" and sent rocks falling down on Blanc before she stood back up again.

I then said: "Let's wrap this up. Dianamon, use restore! Blanc, use protect wave!" and Dianamon said: "Restore!" and she cast a spell on our side that had no effect on her or Blanc… but BlackWarGreymon returned to normal! Blanc then said: "Protect wave!" and made the yellow barriers appear around our side again. "Argh! Come on, man! Pumpkinmon, use comet hammer 3 on Sistermon!" the tamer said. Pumpkinmon then attacked Blanc with it, but she didn't even flinch. BlackWarGreymon then said: "Black tornado!" and spun like a corkscrew at Pumpkinmon before he bowled over him, which soundly took him down!

"Argh! What a powerful opponent…" the tamer said. "Looks like you bit off more than you could chew… how about a knuckle sandwich to go with that?" I asked. "Ahh!" the tamer said as he ran away. Once he was gone, I turned to Yasu and saw his Digimon—which was a Gaogamon—a Digimon like a cross between a dog and a bear that walked on four legs. The front two feet had red boxing gloves with long, black nails coming through them and the back two legs were bandaged. It had blue fur, a white mane, two giant, red, curved crests coming out of its shoulders (from under its mane), a tail like a pug's and a yellow, four-pointed symbol on its forehead. It also had sharp-looking fangs and looked 4'7 tall—beat down the last Digimon he was fighting. "Okay, okay! You win!" the tamer he was fighting said. "Gaogamon! It's time to teach him some manners!" Yasu said. Gaogamon then reared up on his hind legs and hit the tamer with his paws, knocking him on his back! The tamer then got up and ran away.

"Heh-heh… well done, Yasu." I said. Yasu then smiled and said: "Thanks. But our work isn't done yet!" and I said: "Ah, right you are!" We then approached Betamon, who ran up to us and said: "You both were so cool! I want to be like your Digimon when I grow up! Thank you!" I smiled and said: "Anytime." Before Yasu said: "In the meantime, why don't you come to the Heroes' Network? We have a special preserve for Digimon where they can be safe until they can get home and we'd be glad to have you!" "You'd really let me stay at a place like that… when we just met?" Betamon asked. "Of course! A little kindness makes the world go 'round and it doesn't matter whether you're a human or Digimon either!" I said. Betamon then smiled and said: "Yay, thanks! I accept! Let me see it!"

Yasu then sent Betamon to the server and then he said: "Whew… well, it's all in a day's work! And it's pretty fun, too!" "Well said! I love my work and my Digimon too." I said. Yasu then turned to his Gaogamon and said: "And great job, Gaogamon! I'm always amazed at how much you can get done on your own. You are one awesome partner!" Gaogamon then smiled and said: "Yasu…" and then there was a flash of light before we saw a different Digimon where Gaogamon was!

He looked humanoid and had two legs, but flew with the help of a rocket engine attached to his back rather than walking on them. He had black and white pants with silver greaves that had had holes for black and red toe armor. He had a red belt with a silver belt buckle that looked like a bear's head. He also had a white body suit that covered up half of his torso and was bare chested on the upper half, where you could see his blue and white fur (although he did have a giant red and silver belt bound diagonally around his torso). He had massive blue arms with giant silver gloves and he wore a black visor over his eyes. He looked 6 feet tall, although he was hovering in place, making him appear taller.

Yasu looked surprised as he said: "Did you just digivolve?" and the Digimon before him said: "Yes. And I have to say, you're a great partner too. I always have fun going around with you and helping others. There's never a dull moment with you!" And then Yasu and his Digimon laughed. Yasu then said: "Thanks, MachGaogamon… even so, it's not fair of me to put the burden of everything on your shoulders alone… I've been thinking it might be time to digiconvert you some friends to help you—especially since I'm swimming in scan data!" MachGaogamon smiled before he said: "I'd welcome that. I know you'll do great with them too, Yasu."

We then heard a familiar voice say: "Well done, Yasu…" and then we turned around to see Nokia approaching! "N-Nokia? What are you doing here?" Yasu asked. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood and saw how you handled yourself with Gaogamon… or I suppose I should say MachGaogamon now. But I must say, I'm impressed at how far you've come! Keep finding ways to reach out to your Digimon—and keep up the good work!" Nokia replied. "I will! I'll work as hard as I can, Nokia! And once I've helped the Heroes' Network reach new heights, I want a reward!" Yasu said. Nokia suddenly looked a little skeptical as she said: "A reward? Like what…?" and Yasu said: "I want a ki—" but then MachGaogamon punched him in the back, knocking him down! Yasu got up and turned to MachGaogamon before he said: "Oww! What was that for, MachGaogamon?! I was just about to—" and then MachGaogamon said: "No you weren't."

"Huh…?" Yasu said as Nokia, my Digimon and I all laughed. Nokia then said: "Ha ha! You and MachGaogamon sure are old friends! Okay, I'm off!" then she said to me: "Thanks for your help, Keisuke! Buh-bye!" and she left. Yasu sighed before he turned to me and said: "Yes, thank you for your help, Keisuke! I'm impressed at how you stuck with it and completely searched Shibuya. Your reward will be there when you get back to Hudie—don't worry." I smiled and said: "Thanks, Yasu. Good luck with MachGaogamon and your future Digimon!" Yasu smiled and nodded and I went back to Hudie.

When I arrived, I claimed my reward on the BBS and logged out. I then decided to go to the Digilab and check if any of my Digimon could digivolve. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and went right to the terminal used for digivolution… and saw Angewomon, LadyDevimon, MegaSeadramon and DoruGreymon all could! I then gathered everyone up and took them all to the Digilab. When everyone was out, Ciel grinned and said: "Looks like it's time for someone to digivolve, hee-hee! Who will it be this time?"

Given how useful Angewomon currently was, I decided to not mention her for now. I then said: "LadyDevimon, MegaSeadramon and DoruGreymon will all be digivolving this time!" "Alright! That sure makes my day!" MegaSeadramon said. "Yeah, mine too. Digivolving into a mega will be a big step!" DoruGreymon said. "Splendid! I can't wait!" LadyDevimon said. I nodded and said: "Well then MegaSeadramon, why don't we let you go first?"

He then came forward and said: "I'd love to! Let's go, go, go!" We all then laughed and I digivolved him into a Plesiomon—he now had four flippers he walked on and had a white body with a very long tail and a very long, curved neck that had his head connected to it. He had blue-violet stripes on his flippers, back and tail. He had a black forehead and black markings on his face. He had spiked fur around his head that went down around his jaws and orange spikes up his back and neck. He had two floppy, arced strips of skin draping from his back and looked 6'10 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Congratulations, Plesiomon. You worked hard and pulled off something amazing in the end!" Plesiomon then smiled and said: "Thanks, Keisuke! I'm really excited too! Now I can really work at my best!" and then he went off with the others.

DoruGreymon then came forward and said: "I'm all ready, Keisuke! Let's do it!" and I smiled and digivolved him into a Dorugoramon—he looked like a really cool, humanoid dragon now and stood on two legs. He had a silver body with gold edges around silver greaves he wore over his shins and had deep blue-colored blades projecting up out of his knees… he had a deep blue-colored underbelly, deep blue-colored shoulders with bladed shoulder armor and bladed arm guards. He had silver, deep blue and gold wings and a tail that was silver on the top, gold in the middle and deep blue on the bottom with a blade at the end. He had a silver head with silver-and-purple antlers and a red upside-down triangle on his forehead. He had two claws and a thumb on his hands and his feet had three very long toenails each, plus a blade on the back of each foot. He looked 8'2 tall.

When the process was over, I said: "Congratulations, Dorugoramon. You've worked hard and digivolved up into the hero you wanted to be." Dorugoramon smiled and he said: "Thank you Keisuke, but… I don't feel like a hero yet. But that doesn't matter—I didn't expect it to be easy. I'll keep on working until I am a hero someday!" and we smiled together before he went off with the others.

And at last LadyDevimon came forward and I said: "Looks like this is it for you—you excited?" "Of course, master! I'm ready! I know it will be for the best!" LadyDevimon said. I smiled and then said: "I'm glad you're all fired up. Alright—here we go!" and I digivolved her into a Lilithmon—she looked like a beautiful human woman now. She walked on two legs and wore a black, backless top and a purple dress that started under her shoulders as sleeves and then went around her top and went down to her feet and had several rings pierced into it at the bottom. The dress was also slit around her legs, which had open-toe black leggings that were laced with gold wire. Her left hand was made of gold and her right hand was made of flesh. She had four black demon wings on her back and black hair that was bound into a large bun by a golden hair ornament with red and blue jewels. She also had two golden horns out of the sides of her head that curved inward. Her lips were dark purple and she had eyeshadow of the same color. She looked 6 feet tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Alright, looks like that turned out great! Congratulations, Lilithmon!" Lilithmon then smiled and said: "Thank you, master! I'm glad to be digivolving and getting stronger… I would apologize for losing in battle against that bad tamer, but I know you're so nice, you wouldn't care anyway, master." When I heard this, I suddenly smiled and Lilithmon smiled back and said: "Did I make you happy, master?" "I'm just really glad to hear that you know me well enough to know that now, to overcome those old instincts and to feel accepted. It looks like I'm a good influence on you after all—" I began and then Lilithmon suddenly said: "Of course you are! You've always been. I became a much better Digimon under your care and I feel great about it. Don't ever doubt that, master!"

When I heard this, I couldn't help thinking back to when we had destroyed the Digimarket… back then—when she was a BlackGatomon—she had thanked me for not giving her up to Sosuke and after I had reassured her, I had said that I didn't ever want her to think about or worry about that again… what Lilithmon had just said sounded pretty similar to that… it sounded like she was starting to incorporate aspects of my personality into hers. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but for now I couldn't help but like how it was affecting her personality.

I then smiled and said: "And now I'm getting reassured by my own Digimon… It looks like you've become the adult now, Lilithmon." She then smiled back and said: "You honor me, master. Don't worry though! You will always be the master, no matter what happens." And then we all laughed together before she went off with the others.

I then said: "Well, it looks like that about wraps things up—" but then Angewomon said: "What about me, Keisuke? Can I digivolve?" "…Please don't take this the wrong way, Angewomon, but I don't think I want you to digivolve." I said. "HUH? But… why?" She asked. "Because you're already doing very well as you are. Your celestial arrow attack has helped us out of quite a few pinches and I don't want to disrupt a winning combination. There's an old saying: 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. This works very much on the same level, I think." I said. Angewomon looked a little disappointed at first, but then cheered up and said: "Well… okay. I suppose you're right and if I've been that helpful, I can keep it up. Besides, I've come to like this form too, so I suppose it works out."

"Exactly! So we can get back to work, I suppose—although it looks like almost everyone's in their final form now—" I began and then Ciel said: "So I've noticed. Everyone's digivolved into their ultimate form, except me…" "Cheer up, Ciel! You'll digivolve soon. And when you do, it'll be worth the wait." I said. Ciel then beamed and said: "Yup! Just like last time!" and then we smiled before I added Ouryumon and Dianamon to the farm island (leaving Blanc, Angewomon, Slayerdramon, Kuzuhamon, Plesiomon, Dorugoramon, BlackWarGreymon, Lilithmon and Ciel in my phone) and we left the Digilab.


	40. Simon: A knight in the making

Simon Chapter 20—A knight in the making—

After I saw Magnamon off, I knew I was going to have to find a new Royal Knight to try to befriend… I decided to try Gankoomon in Ueno next. I then prepared to go there, but then began to think… in that standoff with Leopardmon and Dynasmon, the only Digimon I had that was at their level of digivolution was Scott and if Gallantmon hadn't have shown up, we may have been in trouble… I then decided to go to the Digilab to see if any of my Digimon could digivolve.

I then logged into the Digilab and greeted Mirei, but before I could go to the terminal to digivolve my Digimon, I heard her say: "Ah, Simon. Do you happen to have a minute?" "Of course I do. What is it, Mirei?" I asked. "I recently finished developing an update for your phone to increase its memory. Given the times, I think now would be a good time for you to install it, wouldn't you say?" She asked. I grinned and said: "Absolutely! Let's get it installed!"

Mirei then nodded and sent me an E-mail, which I checked and opened the attachment for before I installed it and it increased the memory on my phone a lot! "Alright! Thanks, Mirei!" I said. "No problem. At this point, your phone should be able to hold no less than nine Digimon at any given time, so be sure to use it to your advantage." Mirei said. "I will! Thank you, Mirei!" I said.

I then went to the terminal for digivolution and checked it and saw that Zephyr, Sabrina and Daisy could digivolve! I then gathered everyone up in the farm island and called everyone out. When they were all out, Scott said: "Looks like we're all here again! So could it be…? Is someone else ready to digivolve to the mega level?" and I said: "Yes! Zephyr, Sabrina and Daisy are all ready to reach the mega level!" "That's fantastic. I know I've been waiting for a while." Zephyr said. Sabrina chuckled before she said: "Perfect. I knew I'd reach this level in time. You've been a big help too, Simon." And I smiled before Daisy said: "Yay! Reaching the mega level will be a big step! Let's do it!"

I smiled and nodded before I said: "Let's start with Zephyr. Would you care to come up?" Zephyr then flew forward and I digivolved him into a Ravemon—he looked kind of like an Asian warrior and walked on two legs. He wore a purple full body suit and had a black helmet with a red mask and a black tasset with a scabbard bound to the back of it. He also had a black belt above his tasset. He had silver pauldrons that had huge, curved spikes on them and eyes painted on them… he had silver gloves, silver knee pads that had a long spike on each one and black and red shoes. He also had a black and silver chest plate and held a katana in his left hand. His other hand had nothing in it, although he had five fingers on his left hand and three talons on his right hand… he had a black wing on his back and a white wing on his right arm. He looked 6'2 tall.

When the process was over, I smiled and said: "Congratulations, Zephyr. You really did a good job coming this far!" and Zephyr smiled and said: "Yeah, and now I can really help a lot of others—whether human or Digimon! I'm excited to continue what I've been doing on a grand scale!" I smiled when I heard this. Zephyr always had a great attitude and I was still proud of him. He then went off to the others.

I then digivolved Sabrina into a Sakuyamon, like Fei's. When the process ended, I said: "And it looks like you've reached your final form at last, Sabrina! Congratulations!" Sabrina grinned and said: "Thank you, Simon. You've always been a big help like I said before, but…" and then she paused before she said: "I want to thank you for always being so patient with me. I know I've been reserved and distant, but I always appreciated your support, despite it—" and then I said: "Of course! Raising you and the others has been my pleasure, Sabrina. You're a great Digimon in your own right and it wouldn't surprise me if some younger Digimon that came in from the Digital World who saw you thought you were really cool."

Sabrina started to laugh as she said: "Ha…hahahaha! I would like it if that were true. But I do like that idea of being a role model to Digimon too—I think I'll keep working not only on being one, but also deciding what kind of role model I want to be." And then she went off with the others.

Daisy then flew up and said: "I'm so excited to digivolve! Let's go, go, go, Simon!" I smiled and said: "I like your enthusiasm. Alright, let's do it!" and then I digivolved her into a Rosemon. Now she had lost her wings and walked on two legs. This made her less like a fairy and much more like a human woman, although she had a red flower growing out of her head and over her eyes… she wore black tights and black high heels, a red backless garment over her torso that had an arrow-like pattern under her chest that showed some of her midriff, long red gloves and yellow thorns wrapped around her arms that ended in thorny whips she was holding. She had a massive green cape bound around her back (it also had a pink ball pinned to it in front of her neck) and blonde hair that went a little beneath her waist and that was tied at waist level. She looked 5'7 tall.

When the process ended, I smiled and said: "Great job, Daisy! You've finally digivolved to the mega level! Congratulations!" and Daisy smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. It feels great to finally be at the mega level, after so long. I must say, I'm really happy with how it turned out, too—I'm more beautiful than ever now!" "You really are one beautiful Digimon, Daisy… but then, you've always been." I said back. Daisy then smiled at me and said: "Thank you… that is very sweet of you and I appreciate it. And I'll prove that—as I said when I digivolved into Lillymon—I'm more than just a pretty face! I may be a beauty, but I'm plenty strong too!" and we all laughed together before Daisy went off with the others. When everything wrapped up, I added Pepper, Jason, Zephyr, Daisy, Sabrina, Elena, Larry, Gil and Eustace to my phone (leaving Scott in the farm island) and then logged out of the Digilab before we headed to Ueno.

When we arrived, I looked around until I came to a park that had two Digimon who looked noticeably different—one looked like a man and wore a full-body black suit. He had silver cuffs, a silver chest plate and a silver visor over his eyes… he had red, spiky hair and a black mustache—he also had a white trench coat knotted around his shoulders. He looked 6'2 tall. The other Digimon looked like a black and white terrier-like dog that walked on four legs and had a red cape bound around his back. It looked 2'4 tall.

Because I didn't recognize them, I couldn't help assuming these Digimon would be strong… nonetheless, I decided to approach them. The one like a man seemed like he could be Gankoomon, or at least know about Gankoomon's whereabouts. As I approached them, it seemed the Digimon like a man noticed me—he turned to me and said: "Hm? A human?" and the dog Digimon turned to me too and the Digimon like a man went on: "How interesting… I don't get approached by many humans. You must be very confident in your abilities to approach me."

"I am confident in my Digimon, but I have no quarrel with you, if that's what you're thinking. I was actually hoping to ask something." I said. "You want to ask me something? What is it?" The Digimon like a man asked. "I am looking for the Royal Knight, Gankoomon. Might that be you?" I asked. The dog Digimon then sneered and said: "You're looking for Gankoomon… and you didn't even bother to learn what he looks like? You're not the smartest human, are you?" The Digimon like a man then put his hand on the dog Digimon's shoulder and he looked up as the Digimon like a man said: "Ease up, Hackmon—it's only natural he wouldn't know." The Digimon then looked at me and said: "You are correct; I am Gankoomon. It is clear you made a good guess, but… how did you arrive at that conclusion?" "You're a Digimon I didn't recognize. I've been exposed to many, so that alone makes it likely that you're a Royal Knight, because I've never had a chance to see you." I said.

"Yes… that reasoning isn't too bad. You are smarter than I thought." Gankoomon said. I then smiled and he went on: "Still, you have said you have no quarrel with me, but I can't help but wonder what has brought you here if that is so." "I was hoping you could help us humans stop the rampage of the other Royal Knights who are trying to fight us. We want to live peacefully with Digimon instead of having our species fighting each other." I said. "Hmm? So that's it… you're looking for strong allies to take the fight to the other Royal Knights, are you?" Gankoomon asked. "Yes, but what we really want is to get along with the Digimon." I said back. "Fantastic! It seems there are some humans with a sense of fighting spirit!" Gankoomon said.

I wasn't sure if this meant he was going to join us or not… and yet Gankoomon then went on: "And yet I must decline!" "Hmm… so you support Leopardmon, Crusadermon and the others, huh?" I asked. "No. They have nothing to do with it. To be brutally honest, I don't care what happens to your world. All I care about is that my apprentice here, Hackmon—" Gankoomon said as he pointed to the dog Digimon and went on: "Becomes a Royal Knight like he wants to someday."

I didn't say anything and then Gankoomon went on: "However… with your fighting spirit and compassion for Digimon…" and then he went on: "I suppose I'll make you a deal: if you can help Hackmon reach that level, I will support you in your fight against the Royal Knights who want to oppose you." I smiled and said: "That is a high compliment that you would trust me to help him. I'll be happy to of course; if he wants to be a Royal Knight, I'll see to it!"

And yet Hackmon immediately turned to Gankoomon and said: "What?! You're going to leave me in a human's care?!" before he went on: "Why? Did I fail you? Is this your way of punishing me?!" but then all of a sudden, Gankoomon slugged Hackmon forcefully and yelled: "NOOOOOOO!" Hackmon was then sent flying and Gankoomon followed up by yelling at him: "Hackmon! This person may have that 'something' you said you were missing! I will leave now to allow you to train so you can defeat BanchoLeomon at the museum! And do not return to me until you have found it!" and he ran off!

I was shocked when I saw this… nonetheless, I approached Hackmon, who was still lying on the ground. When I got in close range of him, I said: "Are you okay?" Hackmon then stood up and I said: "I'm sorry, Hackmon—I can see how this would be hard on you. But don't worry—we'll help you reach your goal until you can tell Gankoomon you made it!" And yet Hackmon looked mad as he said: "You—! Be quiet! I don't need your help! I'll go defeat BanchoLeomon by myself! So just stay out of my way!" And he started sprinting off!

"Hackmon, wait!" I said. I then chased him, but eventually lost sight of him and it didn't help that I wasn't familiar with where everything was in Ueno… Luckily, I knew he was heading for the museum, so I quickly checked its location on my phone before I ran off to it!

When I arrived, there was a purplish-pink light emitting from the museum… it must be a digital shift! I went in right away and looked around… it looked like Hackmon wasn't anywhere nearby… I then went further in, to the exhibits in the next room over to the left (and got into some battles as I went) but didn't find Hackmon there! I then backtracked to the previous room and saw there was a passageway straight ahead at the back of the room, so I took it and arrived in a dark space. I went forward and soon saw… Hackmon and another Digimon in the distance! It was a lion-like Digimon that walked on two legs. It wore black pants, had a black-and-maroon jacket bound around its shoulders and was bare chested. It had a sword in one hand and a rose in its mouth. It had enormous muscles, along with a gray mane. It looked 7'6 tall.

It then punched Hackmon and sent him flying forward… and he landed flat on his face! I then ran up to them and as I did, I heard Hackmon say: "Ugh… I knew I couldn't do it… I knew I couldn't defeat BanchoLeomon… and I'm a failure now…" and then the lion-like Digimon said: "What's wrong, Hackmon? You'll never defeat me like that!" and Hackmon sniveled before he said: "Say what you will… I'm finished now. I don't have what it takes after all…" BanchoLeomon then said: "Hmph. Very well, then. As long as you're quitting, I'll bring your training to its conclusion!" and he raised his fist again before I yelled: "STOP!" and then BanchoLeomon looked up (and Hackmon's head shot up before he turned around) and BanchoLeomon said: "What's this…? Have you come for this Digimon?" "You bet I did!" I said. I then approached Hackmon and said: "Oh Hackmon, I'm sorry I didn't catch up to you in time…" and Hackmon said: "Don't be. It's all over now."

I shook my head and said: "You can't give up on your dreams just because something didn't go right the first time! It wouldn't even be fair to judge the outcome of this battle as meaning anything anyway when the odds were so stacked against you. The fact that you worked up the courage to fight anyway says a lot about you." I then called out Sabrina, Elena and Pepper and said: "Sabrina, heal Hackmon for me, will you?" She then nodded and said: "Final heal!" and cast a spell on him that completely restored his health! Hackmon then stood up and said: "You… you would heal me after how I behaved?" "Of course! I promised Gankoomon I'd look after you, after all. But more than that… you're an exceptional Digimon and you should be helped at a time like this." I said.

I then went on: "So now that you're all patched up, there's no reason to let this end in failure. Get up and take him on with me!" Hackmon then shook his head before he went on: "Why? I didn't do anything right in that last battle…" and then BanchoLeomon said: "Hackmon, even after receiving his kindness, do you still not understand? Are you really going to sit there and sulk? What would Gankoomon think of this?"

Hackmon then looked down and said: "Gankoomon… yes, he once told me something important… he said that a Digimon only becomes a Royal Knight when they… protect the world…" Hackmon then looked up and said: "Heh… I see now. I wasn't protecting anything. I was only rushing in and picking fights. Then when I lost, I acted like a whiner and a quitter…" He then shook his head and said: "Well I'm done with all of that! I'm done being a wimp! I'm done being an ingrate!" Hackmon then turned to me and said: "Let's do this! I may not be very strong, but I'll use my power to protect you, um…" and then I smiled and said: "Simon." And Hackmon said: "Right, Simon! We'll do this together!"

"Hmm. It looks like you've shaped up a bit." BanchoLeomon said. We then turned to him and he said: "Well good. Then show me what you can do!"

Hackmon then stepped forward (and Sabrina, Elena and Pepper all followed in suit) and then I felt my phone vibrate. It said: "BanchoLeomon scan data: 5%". It also said BanchoLeomon was a vaccine Digimon, meaning I had picked my Digimon perfectly! BanchoLeomon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks. "Sabrina, blast him with holy light 3! Elena, use heavy strike 3!" I said. Elena ran in while Sabrina said: "Holy light 3!" and she caused a shining, exploding cross of light to appear where BanchoLeomon was! By now, Elena had arrived and she swung her sword at BanchoLeomon as she said: "Heavy strike 3!" and hit him, hard! Pepper then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks! Hackmon then ran up to BanchoLeomon and said: "Fifth rush!" and started swiping at BanchoLeomon with his claws before he turned and ran back to us.

BanchoLeomon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and a giant boulder formed in between my Digimon and Hackmon and soon shattered, raining down shards of rock on them! Sabrina and Elena then attacked as they had while Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. Hackmon then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where BanchoLeomon was! BanchoLeomon then used another awesome quake 3 (and Hackmon was looking very hurt when it ended) and he ran up to BanchoLeomon and said: "Fifth rush!" and swiped at him with his claws again, although BanchoLeomon took it harder this time… "Sabrina, heal Hackmon! Use final heal!" I said. She then said: "Final heal!" and restored Hackmon completely. Elena then said: "Heavy strike 3!" and swung her sword at BanchoLeomon again before Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and opened his chest plate before he fired missiles out of them—and BanchoLeomon took it pretty hard!

When he recovered though, he grinned and said: "Your healer's open! Flashy boss punch!" and ran at Sabrina and slugged her with a really hard punch! Sabrina then fell on her back and tried to stand, but looked dazed… "Sabrina?!" I said. She didn't respond and Hackmon frowned and said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and made another fiery explosion engulf BanchoLeomon. "Pepper, use attack charge on Elena! Elena, keep using heavy strike 3!" I said. They then did so and Hackmon said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and burned BanchoLeomon again. BanchoLeomon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted himself. "Pepper, use acceleration boost again! Elena, give him another heavy strike 3!" I said. They then did so.

Sabrina then got back on her feet, but it seemed BanchoLeomon noticed because he ran in and said: "Flashy boss punch!" and hit Sabrina hard before she fell on her back and said: "Argh… I'm sorry, Simon…" "You still did well, Sabrina." I said as I called her back and sent in Eustace. Pepper then said: "Giga Destroyer!" and blasted BanchoLeomon with missiles again. Elena followed up with another heavy strike 3 and Hackmon used another Wolkenapalm 3.

BanchoLeomon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and attacked again, doing damage to everyone. Hackmon attacked with another Wolkenapalm 3, while I said: "Eustace, use holy light 3! Pepper, give yourself another boost! Elena, use heavy strike 3 again!" and then they did so. BanchoLeomon then said: "Attack charge!" and gave himself another boost… everyone then attacked again and I said: "Eustace, prepare to block!" before BanchoLeomon said: "Awesome quake 3!" and repeated his last attack. Hackmon then ran up to him and said: "Fifth rush!" and swiped at BanchoLeomon with his claws. I then said: "Pepper, strengthen Elena! Elena, hit him with heavy strike 3 again!" and Pepper said: "Attack charge!" and powered up Elena before she hit BanchoLeomon again.

Pepper and Elena then hit BanchoLeomon with a giga destroyer and a heavy strike 3 before I said: "Eustace, heal Hackmon! X-heal!" and Eustace said: "X-heal!" and restored Hackmon again. BanchoLeomon then said: "Flashy boss punch!" and hit Eustace… and knocked him out! I then called Eustace back and sent in Jason.

Hackmon then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and burned BanchoLeomon. I then said: "Jason, prepare to block! Pepper, use attack charge on Elena! Elena use a heavy strike 3!" and they did so before BanchoLeomon said: "Awesome quake 3!" and caused another boulder to shatter… and then Pepper and Elena went down!

This wasn't looking so good… on one hand, BanchoLeomon was starting to look worn down, but on the other hand, I had lost many Digimon… and I was running out of ones that had a chance to stand up to BanchoLeomon. If I didn't do something soon… I then called in Daisy and Zephyr as Hackmon looked down and said: "Ugh… I'm sorry, Simon. I'm trying so hard, but—" and then I said: "Don't apologize, Hackmon. You're an important part of the team too!" Hackmon then grinned a little and said: "Thank you, Simon. I just wish I had the power to repay your kindness and protect you… you and your Digimon have been so nice to me… if only I could return the favor…" and then he went on: "But I guess it is what it is… and it doesn't matter. I'll fight 'till my last breath, like a real knight would!"

Then Hackmon suddenly said: "Wh-whoa!" and I said: "What? What is it?" And then there was a flash of light! "H-Hackmon?!" I said during the flash. When it ended, I saw a different Digimon standing where Hackmon was! He looked humanoid, but had swords for legs and a bony tail like a spine with a blade attached. His torso looked like a ribcage and had bone-like arms with white, blue and gold shoulder armor and white and blue forearm armor with blades at the ends—he also had gold hands that had three gold claws (but no thumbs). He had a white, bony head with many spikes on it—he also had a spiky chin. He had a red cape bound around his neck and looked 6'10 tall.

After that, I said: "Hackmon? Did you digivolve?" and then the Digimon said: "Yes… it looks like I've finally adopted the mindset a knight should have…" and then he went on: "But that can wait! Now that I'm stronger, I can finally return the favor to you and your Digimon!" "Heh… it looks like you're really advancing now…" BanchoLeomon said before we turned to him and he said: "Well then, come at me with your full power, Hackmon!" and the Digimon then said to BanchoLeomon: "My name is Jesmon now! And I'll be happy to do so! In the name of chivalry, I will defeat you, BanchoLeomon!"

Jesmon then said: "Attack charge field!" and strengthened all of my Digimon's non-magic attacks, as well as his own. Daisy then said: "Gaia element 3!" and made a sphere of green energy envelop BanchoLeomon! I then said: "Zephyr, use sonic void 3! Jason, use holy light 3!" and Jason did so while Zephyr said: "Sonic void 3!" and made a sphere of air engulf BanchoLeomon! BanchoLeomon then powered up again with another attack charge.

Jesmon then said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell that made everyone on our side take less damage from non-magic attacks! BanchoLeomon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and attacked with it. I then said: "Daisy, use thorn whip! Zephyr, Jason, use sonic void 3 and holy light 3!" and then Zephyr and Jason did so while Daisy said: "Thorn whip!" and snapped her whip at the ground before she started lashing BanchoLeomon! She then looked like she felt a little revitalized after she was done.

BanchoLeomon then turned to Jesmon and said: "Flashy boss punch!" and ran at him, yet as he did, Jesmon said: "Weltgeist!" and assumed a defensive stance. And when BanchoLeomon punched Jesmon, he didn't even flinch! And on top of that, Jesmon then swung his tail at BanchoLeomon to hit him! My Digimon then repeated all of their previous attacks.

By now, BanchoLeomon was looking worn out. I then said: "Alright, it looks like we've got this! Let's finish the job!" and then Jesmon said: "I agree! All together now…" and then Zephyr said: "Sonic void 3!" and hit BanchoLeomon with it while Jason said: "Wind cutter sword!" and he charged straight at BanchoLeomon and rammed his horn into him three times before he ran back and Daisy said: "Thorn whip!" and lashed BanchoLeomon again before Jesmon said: "Judgement of the blade!" and he flew at BanchoLeomon and swung the swords on his arms, legs and tail at him before BanchoLeomon fell over! And he wouldn't get back up… we had won!

When BanchoLeomon was down, Jesmon smiled and said: "I did it… I helped my friends and made good on my debts!" I then grinned and said: "Well that was a surprise. I expected you'd say something like: 'I beat BanchoLeomon'!" "Beating BanchoLeomon wasn't what was important. What mattered the most was having the chance to defend you and your friends. Thank you for teaching me that." Jesmon said.

I smiled and then we heard a: "Well done, Hackmon… or should I say, Jesmon. You've really done me proud." We then turned to see Gankoomon come up! "Gankoomon…!" Jesmon said and then Gankoomon smiled and said: "You've finally done it. At long last, you have become a new Royal Knight!" Jesmon then smiled and said: "YES! At last, after all these years… I did it!" and I smiled before Gankoomon turned to me and said: "Thank you for your help. Jesmon has become an amazing Royal Knight because of your help… and like Jesmon, I will make good on my debts. Because you helped him, I will support you against the Royal Knights running amok." I smiled and said: "Thank you, Gankoomon. We all appreciate your assistance." And then I turned to Jesmon and said: "And what about you, Jesmon? Can we count on you too?" "Of course! Expect me to use all of my power to defend you and your friends! I'm at your service, Simon!" Jesmon replied.

We smiled together and then Gankoomon said: "He will be a great ally to you. Perhaps even greater than me. Be sure to use his help well." "I will! Thank you for everything, Gankoomon and Jesmon! It was an amazing experience getting to help you both and I'm glad I got to do so." I said. Jesmon then turned to Gankoomon and Gankoomon finally turned back to him, yet strangely didn't say anything… and neither did Jesmon. After a minute passed, Gankoomon finally said: "…You're not seriously thinking of going with me again, are you?" and Jesmon looked surprised and didn't reply before Gankoomon said: "There is nothing left I can teach you. It's time you started traveling and learning on your own and you become the Royal Knight you were meant to be!"

Jesmon then smiled and said: "…You're right, Gankoomon. I was such a fool. I'll become stronger out of my own power, as I should!" "We know you will, Jesmon! And I'm glad I can count on you both!" I said. I then went on: "Well, I'd best get back to business. I look forward to seeing you again!" and I prepared to leave before I heard a: "Simon!" it was Jesmon… I turned around and said: "Yes?" and yet Jesmon looked like he was hesitating before he said: "Never mind." "Hmm… alright. See you again, Gankoomon, Jesmon!" I said.

I then left the museum. When I was back out in the streets, I couldn't help but stop to savor my sense of accomplishment at what I had done. I had helped Hackmon become an outstanding Royal Knight… I wasn't sure I could at first, but I'm glad I believed I could, because it was its own reward. I smiled before I proceeded to go back to Nakano and heal my Digimon, but then I heard a: "Wait, Simon!" and I turned around to see Jesmon again…

"Jesmon? What's going on?" I asked. "What do you mean, 'what's going on'? I know I'm one to talk, but… were you really going to leave, just like that?" Jesmon asked. I then stopped and paused before I said: "Jesmon? What do you mean?" He then said: "Can't you see? I want to go with you. What, did you think I would just give you a 'so long, thanks for everything' and see you off?" "Well all the other Royal Knights have, so yes, that was what I was expecting…" I said. Jesmon then shook his head before he said: "I said I was at your service, and I meant it." "Well I don't mind, but are you sure you feel comfortable with that? After all that time you spent under Gankoomon?" I asked. Jesmon then suddenly smiled and said: "Ha ha! I thought you'd say that. Well truth be told, I actually talked to him before I caught up with you. I asked him if he would be offended if I traveled with you. Know what he said? He said: 'You'd be a fool not too. Besides, you're not going to become strong following in my shadow forever! Go out and live your own life! It's the best way for you to learn. Your instincts are the best ones you can possibly follow. They won't fail you'."

I smiled as Jesmon said: "We should stick together after all we've accomplished, so let's go! Or is your insistence your way of refusing me?" "No, of course not. I'll be happy to have you along with us, Jesmon. My only concern was if you'd feel comfortable doing it. But as long as you are, there's nothing left to think about! I'll be happy to keep contributing to your growth." I said.

Jesmon then smiled and said: "Good, because that's just the way I'd rather do this!" We then smiled together and I said: "So are you ready to go now, Jesmon?" "Well before we do, there was one thing I noticed…" Jesmon said and I said: "Hmm?" "I saw you gave all of your Digimon proper names… but you're still referring to me as 'Jesmon', even though I've joined you. Is there a reason I'm not included?" Jesmon asked.

I then laughed and said: "I hadn't thought about that, actually… I just know you as Jesmon, so I called you that. But I can give you a name as well, if you want me to." "Of course! I don't want to be the odd one out!" Jesmon said. I smiled before I said: "Well let's see… how about 'Arthur'?" Jesmon then grinned slightly and he said: "I think I've heard of that name… King Arthur of the round table, right?" I nodded and Jesmon grinned and said: "Sure, I'll take it." I smiled and said: "Alright!" and I called out Jason and Gil before I said: "Well, we'd best be off, everyone—we need to get you all healed up!" And then I took off before Jason said: "Huh? Is Jesmon coming with us?" I smiled and nodded before he said: "Alright!" and then he turned to Arthur and said: "It's good to have you on the team!"

Arthur smiled and nodded before he said: "It's good to be here! And just so you know, the name I'm going by is Arthur now." and then Jason and Gil turned to me and Gil said: "You gave him a name too?" "That's right!" I said. Gil then smiled and said: "It makes sense—that's just like you." And we all laughed before Jason said: "Perhaps. But Simon does have a point about us needing to get healed up…" "Right! So let's get back to the Digilab!" I said.

They all nodded and we returned to Nakano before I logged into the Digilab and greeted Mirei before I healed my Digimon.


	41. Simon: Eaten by guilt

Simon Chapter 21—Eaten by guilt—

I was about to leave the Digilab, but as I walked by the terminal used for digivolving Digimon, I stopped and my mind wandered… maybe some of my Digimon could digivolve again… I then changed my mind and went over to it and checked to see if anyone could… and I saw Elena and Eustace could digivolve!

I then rounded everyone up and brought them back into the Digilab. When we were all there, Arthur looked around before he said: "Um… what are we all doing here?" and Scott chuckled before he said: "This is something he always does before a Digimon digivolves. He always wants us to see it." "Oh, is that right, Simon?" Arthur asked. I nodded and said: "Yup, exactly right! And it'll be Elena and Eustace digivolving today!" Elena then smiled and said: "Alright! I'm happy to be finally digivolving into my final form!" and Eustace said: "That's great news! I'm looking forward to it!"

I smiled and nodded before I said: "Well Eustace, would you care to go first?" "Absolutely! Let's make it happen!" Eustace said. I chuckled before I digivolved him into a Vikemon—he now looked like a furry, humanoid walrus-like Digimon that walked on two legs. He wore a tan cape that was bound around his shoulders and connected around his chest. He had a black belt with a red banner around his waist, black gloves and what appeared to be belt buckles around his arms. He also wore a Viking-style hat with two horns and had shield shoulder pauldrons. He was armed with a giant flail that had mace balls at the ends and looked 10'8 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "Great job digivolving, Eustace! Looks like you're all ready to give any evildoers a real beatdown!" Eustace then laughed heartily and said: "You've got that right! If anyone tries to hurt us or any innocent person or Digimon, I'll make 'em regret it!" and then we smiled before he went off with the others.

Elena then came forward and said: "And that leaves me. Let's get this started—I can't wait to digivolve!" and I smiled before I said: "I hear ya! Now let's begin!" and I looked over what Digimon she could digivolve into. The strongest one I saw was Crusadermon, so that was what I chose to digivolve her into. Elena then became a colorless wireframe and reshaped into a Crusadermon, like the one we had encountered in the Roppongi underground research lab. When the process ended, Elena looked surprised and said: "Well this is certainly something… ending up like Crusadermon of the Royal Knights…" but then she went on: "Not that I mind, of course. If Crusadermon of the Royal Knights wants to be a bloodthirsty monster, then I'll become a model Crusadermon, easily the better of us two!" I then smiled and said: "You easily have what it takes to do that, Elena. You're a much better-hearted Digimon than she is. Who knows, maybe you'll even replace her someday?"

Elena then smiled and said: "Thank you so much… that's very kind of you to say. And who knows, heh-heh… perhaps someday I will." We then laughed together and I said: "That's the spirit! Alright, now let's get going—we've got more business with Royal Knights other than Arthur and our Royal-Knight-to-be here!" And then I added Zephyr, Pepper, Jason, Daisy, Arthur, Elena, Scott and Eustace to my phone (leaving Sabrina, Gil and Larry in the farm island) and then left.

When I was back in Nakano, I was about to go to Kyoko to check to see if any cases had come in, when my phone suddenly rang! I checked and saw it was Makiko! Normally she texted me, so I thought whatever she was calling about must be serious and answered it right away. I then said: "Hello?" and Makiko sounded like she was panting as she said: "Simon… I…" and then she went on: "I need your help! There's this disgusting thing that's trying to come after me and some other officers!" That didn't sound good…

"A disgusting thing? What is it, Makiko?" I asked. "I don't think it's a Digimon… it has a nautilus shell on its back and two eyes on the sides of its head and a bunch of tentacles. It's black-and-white striped all over—" Makiko began, but she didn't have to say anything else… I knew it was an Eater from that explanation! "Shit…" I said before Makiko said: "What's with _that_ reaction? Do you know what it is?" "…Yes I do. It's a very dangerous creature called an 'Eater'. Listen to me Makiko—no matter what happens, don't engage it head on! Stay as far away from it as possible and all of your officers should do the same! I'll come as fast as I can to wherever you are! Where are you now?" I asked. "I'm in Shinjuku, by the subway. And thanks—hurry over!" Makiko said. "You got it! I'm on my way!" I said.

I then hung up and hurried to Shinjuku as fast as I could. I sprinted to the subway and saw Makiko and some police officers trying to keep their distance from the Eater! I then ran in and called out Pepper, Arthur and Elena. I then said: "Pepper, get the Eater! Use giga destroyer!" and Pepper said: "Giga destroyer!" and shot missiles from his chest plate at the Eater!

Once it got blasted, the Eater immediately turned around and came up to us. I then went on: "Arthur, use attack charge field! Elena, use heavy strike 3!" and Arthur then said: "Attack charge field!" and he boosted his, Pepper's and Elena's damage output with non-magic attacks before Elena said: "Heavy strike 3!" and ran over to the Eater and bashed it with her shield. The Eater then had waves of data emerge around it.

After that, it followed up by rushing at Pepper, Arthur and Elena and causing a shockwave which knocked them down! After they got up, I said: "Pepper, use acceleration boost! Arthur, use wolkenapalm 3! Elena, use destruction cannon 3!" and Pepper said: "Acceleration boost!" and he prepared to really strengthen his next attack while Arthur said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and made a fiery explosion occur where the Eater was. Elena then said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at the Eater, which soundly hit it! The Eater's eyes then turned purple and it thrust its tentacles out at Elena and wrapped them around her before it retracted them and it looked like it felt a little better.

I then said: "Pepper, use giga destroyer!" and Pepper then said: "Giga destroyer!" and fired more missiles at the Eater… but it still got up. "Hmph. Still going, eh…? Alright then Elena, let 'em have it! Fist of Athena!" I said. Elena then said: "Fist of Athena!" and leapt at the Eater and hit it with a very forceful punch! The Eater then collapsed on its side and disappeared!

"Great job, everyone! Now let's go see how they're doing." I said. They all nodded and we ran over to Makiko and the other officers. When we arrived, I said: "There. It should be safe now." I then turned to Makiko and said: "It's good to see you're okay, Makiko. Did anything happen to the other officers?" "No. They're all okay, thanks to you." Makiko said. She then went on: "What was that horrible thing, anyway? You knew what it was, right?"

I then explained it to Makiko as best as I could and by the end, she looked shocked and said: "Wh-what?! So those things have been the cause of all these cases of EDEN Syndrome?!" "Yes. I don't doubt it at all." I said. "Dang… we are so lucky we didn't get into contact with it then…" Makiko said. She then went on: "Well we'll be more careful around those things for sure. Thank you, Simon." And then she turned to the officers and said: "Alright, we're off!" "Yes, officer Date!" the other officers said. Makiko then turned to me and said: "Thanks again for saving us! Take care and watch your back out there!" "Sure thing!" I said. Makiko and the officers then left. I was about to leave the area, but then I noticed something… there was a purple light coming from the subway, much like at the museum in Ueno… it must be another digital shift. I decided to investigate it and headed down into the subway.

When I arrived, I saw it looked the same as it had before… but now there was someone else in the distance! It was… "Arata?!" I said. Arata then whirled around but when he saw me, he said: "Hey, shh! Keep your voice down!" "Err… right. Sorry." I said. Arata then smiled and came up before he said: "Looks like you're still holding up okay. I'm glad to see that, especially with all of the Royal Knights and Eaters out there." I then crossed my arms and said: "Yeah, well I'm glad you are too—Yuuko, Nokia and I have all been worried about you. I still can't believe you refused police protection at a time like this…"

"You can't?" Arata said. We then laughed together before he said: "So how are Yuuko and Nokia? Are they okay?" I then told him about Yuuko's new position at Kamishiro Enterprises and Nokia building the server in the Heroes' Network and then Arata smiled and said: "Yeah, that sounds great… especially for Nokia. I'm surprised she took charge of your team so well…" I smiled and said: "I always knew I could count on her. She's actually really good at exceeding expectations." "Definitely." Arata said.

We then grinned and he went on: "Well thank you for letting me know you're all doing okay. And as glad as I am to see you, I think you should go now—I'd hate for you to get mixed up in all of this." I then frowned and said: "Come on, Arata! Don't push us away just because of a choice you made!" "Heh… so you're really standing by me even now, eh? You're really a true friend…" Arata said. He then went on: "Well as long as I can't persuade you to go, how about we head further in? I heard there are some Eaters here and I want to nip 'em in the bud." "Sounds like a plan!" I said. Arata then smiled and laughed before he said: "Great. It'll be just like old times… let's go then."

We then fought our way deeper into the digital shift and eventually found the Eaters Arata was talking about by some subway tracks… but there were some people down here too! "Gah! What are people doing down here?!" Arata asked. The Eaters were then starting to advance on the people, who ran further in! "Forget it! Let's get them!" I said. Arata nodded and we ran after them.

We arrived in a darkly lit area and ran on in… but we were too late… the Eaters had kissed the people here too… "Damn them…! Auuuugghh!" Arata yelled. He then called out Infermon (and I called out my Digimon) and we beat down the Eaters. When the Eaters were down, Arata called Infermon back, walked up to the people who had been kissed and looked at them sorrowfully as he said: "Heh… too late again, huh? Man that sucks…" He then went on: "I keep trying to help people, but I've never succeeded at that at all. If only I had more power…"

"Never succeeded? What about—" I began, but then I heard a familiar voice say: "Well… looks like you know the sting of it too." It was Suedou! Arata and I whirled around and saw him approaching! "Suedou?! What are you doing here?!" Arata asked. "Please relax. I'm not with the police and I have no interest in apprehending you, Arata." Suedou said. Arata stared him down for a bit before he looked down at the Eaters and said: "How… how could they be so heartless…" and Suedou then said: "It is reprehensible what they're doing to so many people… but to the Eaters, this is how they evolve. They consume data in order to incorporate it into themselves and learn more about it."

Arata then turned to Suedou and said: "But you said you 'knew the sting of it too'… what did you mean?" and Suedou said: "I understand you have a good heart Arata, and like you, I am disturbed by all of the sadness that has plagued our world. But it is possible that—because of the Paradise Lost plan's success—that may all soon become a distant memory." "WHAT? What do you mean?" Arata asked.

"The Paradise Lost plan has caused a massive digital shift to cover our planet. That in effect has made all matter digital. Naturally this is why Eaters can consume human mental data on Earth… but that has also had a very interesting side effect: Because all matter is digital, it is also effectively transformable. Now granted, it is not possible now, but that means that it could eventually be possible to rewrite anything for any purpose—it could be possible to make sadness, grief and rage disappear in an instant, feelings of hostility could cease to exist, violence could end forever—" Suedou began and then Arata said: "Yes… overwriting anything bad, like a glitched program… I never looked at it that way…"

"What you're talking about isn't natural. That kind of power would be almost godlike… and it would be easier to misuse than anything else. How could we trust mere men with such a power?" I asked. "You wouldn't want to see all that plagues this world disappear, Simon?" Suedou asked. "That has nothing to do with it. But such a thing couldn't happen anyway—there wouldn't be any computer anywhere with enough power to get do something like that." I said. "Alas, no. There's certainly nothing to be found around here that has those kind of capabilities…" Suedou said.

I wasn't sure how to take this remark, but then Suedou turned to Arata and said: "Arata, I can see you're a caring person as well, troubled by many a burden. Why don't you come with me and we start working together? I would love to make your dreams of having the power to independently help others come true." "…Yeah. I'd like that." Arata said.

"WHAT?! Arata?!" I asked. He then walked up to Suedou and turned around before he said: "See ya, Simon. Take care of Nokia and Yuuko for me." Suedou then pulled up a screen of data and started typing on it as I ran up to him and said: "You've got to be kidding! You're going to turn your back on us to go off with a mad scientist—" but then they suddenly vanished!

I stood there in disbelief before I finally shook my head and ran back to the entrance. For all I knew, they could have left Shinjuku entirely… but I wasn't done yet! I had to catch up with them! I ran back up to the streets and when I arrived, I saw something that wasn't good… I had found Arata and Suedou… but an Eater was in front of them!

I ran up to them as I said: "Arata! Hang on! I'll help—" but then Arata said without turning to me: "STAY BACK! This is my fight!" I was so shocked I actually stopped and Arata pulled up a screen of data as the Eater kept approaching them and eventually, Suedou said: "Now, Arata!" and Arata then pressed a key before the Eater's body started to twist into a spiral shape! It then got sucked into Arata's left arm and then there was a flash of light!

When it subsided, I saw the Eater was gone… but something had happened to Arata's left arm! Now it was dark green and silver-colored and longer than his right arm, which was still normal… the left hand still had five fingers, but they looked longer and more flexible… parts of the arm also had swirling effects on them… "What the HELL?! What happened to…?!" I said before I heard a: "Well, well, I never expected to see the hideous form I now see before me…" from behind and turned around: it was Gallantmon! Gallantmon then approached Arata and said: "Do you realize what you've just done?! You are no longer human!"

Yet Arata smiled and said: "What of it? I've just become more than I could be before. I've gone beyond humanity now!" Gallantmon continued approaching him and said: "I am willing to help humans, but I do not take as kindly to Eaters, after all they have done to our world…" and then he said: "If you insist on following this path, I will not hesitate to end your corrupted existence."

"Gallantmon! Wait!" I said before Gallantmon said: "Do not interfere! He is no longer the boy you were friends with!" "According to who?!" I asked back. Arata then laughed and said: "Ah, Simon… you're just as good as ever. But don't worry about me… I'm eager to try out my new powers, and I wouldn't mind having a chance to humiliate a Royal Knight!" and then he turned to Gallantmon and said: "After what you did, I'm excited to see you grovel! So how about it?" Gallantmon then suddenly flew at him at high speed as he said: "Fool! Have it your way then! Lighting joust!"

And he rammed into Arata with his lance! Arata immediately fell forward on the ground and onto his face! "NO! How could you?!" I asked. Gallantmon then turned to me and said: "Listen to me—I'm glad you care about your friends, but he had given up that privilege by becoming an Eater. He only would have continued to become more and more evil as time passed, so it's better that he be taken down while he's still almost the person you remember—"

But what happened next shocked me: I saw Arata's hands move! He put them in front of him, lifted his head up and pushed himself up! My eyes immediately widened and then Gallantmon stopped before he immediately turned around and looked like he was unable to believe what he was seeing: Arata was standing up and had no wound anywhere on him! Arata then laughed and said: "Is that all you've got?" "I—I can't believe this! What madness is this?!" Gallantmon asked.

"Ah, I see it worked as intended!" Suedou said. Gallantmon then said to Suedou: "You… is this your doing?!" "Not at all! It is Arata's own unique talents! Because of his unique combination of flesh data and Eater data, Arata's body has a supernatural ability to heal itself… as you have just witnessed." Suedou said. Arata then laughed and said: "It's my power! I can stand up to a Royal Knight on my own now!" He then said to Gallantmon: "Well don't worry—I won't hunt you yet. But rest assured, I'll be back to exact revenge for you impaling me someday!" and then he ran off! Suedou then said: "Looks like our little get-together has wrapped up. I should be going too." And he also ran off. Gallantmon's face then tightened with anger as he ran after Arata and yelled at him: "You don't scare me! Come back here, you brat!" "Gallantmon, wait!" I said as I tried to catch up to him, but he got away…

I sighed with utter disappointment… I can't believe that skunk Suedou got Arata to listen to him and do something so monstrous! And given Arata's reckless, tough personality before he had become merged with an Eater… I wasn't sure how this was going to go… just then though, I got a call! I took out my phone and said: "Hello?" and then I heard Kyoko say: "Hello, Simon. I wanted to talk to you and Yuuko about something I discovered about the Royal Knights, so would you mind coming back to the office for the time being?" "Not at all. I'm on my way, Kyoko." I said. "Great. I'll see you then!" Kyoko said. We then hung up and I hurried back to Nakano.


	42. Keisuke: Ciel awakens

Keisuke Chapter 21—Ciel Awakens—

The next day I went into Hudie and started with a little research into Arcadiamon's recent activities. He had eaten many Digimon belonging to tamers now… sources also were conflicting with what Arcadiamon looked like, which suggested to me that he may have digivolved…

I sighed as I began to grow tired of all this bad news and decided to check the BBS for any cases. It looked like one had come up, but it was a serious one: it was from a grandfather who said his granddaughter had entered a digital shift in Asakusa and hadn't returned in a few hours… he was worried sick and wanted someone to investigate… he said her name was Yui and had uploaded a photo of her (she looked like a child) and asked that I go to Asakusa immediately.

If she hadn't returned in a few hours with the aggressive Digimon and violence out there, it was likely that she was already dead… nonetheless, I couldn't turn a blind eye to a case like this, so I took it and headed straight to Asakusa. When I arrived, I saw all kinds of Digimon and humans in the streets as I saw the digital shift: purplish-pink light was streaming out of a gateway! I ran on in and began to search. There were many buildings that were scattered about, along with gateways, so there were plenty of places that I would have to check…

Nonetheless, I called out Blanc, Dorugoramon and BlackWarGreymon and checked everywhere. I didn't see Yui, no matter where I looked… until I went behind a building and saw a girl who looked exactly like the one in the photo! She was huddled into a corner and looked terrified… it seemed she heard me before she saw me though, because when I stepped towards her, she screamed before she shut her eyes and I said: "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." The girl then looked up and when she saw me, she said: "Who are you?" "My name is Keisuke. Tell me… are you Yui?" I asked. "Yes I am, but… how do you know my name?" she asked. I gave a sigh of relief before I said: "I'm glad. But to answer your question, your grandfather posted a request on a bulletin board on the site of the hacker team I belong to—Hudie—asking me to come rescue you. I'm glad you're okay; it sounds like you've had it really rough."

Yui then nodded and said: "I sure have! I wandered in here by accident and tried to get out, but a really mean snake showed up! It sprayed water at me from its nose really forcefully and tried to kill me! So I've been trying to hide from it so it won't find me…" I then turned to my Digimon and said: "A snake… that sprays water from its nose?" "It must be a Digimon and probably a Seadramon-family Digimon at that. I'm not sure which one, though." Dorugoramon said.

I then turned to Yui and said: "Well don't worry about that snake, because we'll take it down if it does come back again. Just come with us and we'll get you back home." "You will? Really?!" Yui said. "Absolutely. Now let's hurry!" I said. "Okay! Let's go, Mr. Keisuke!" Yui said.

We then ran back to the entrance… but we saw a weird, puppet-like Digimon there! It looked like a humanoid, wooden puppet and walked on two legs. It had a blue vest and blue shorts—it also had two gears on its stomach… it also had silver bolts for elbows and knees and had white gloves on its hands. It also had a pointed, silver spike for a nose and a red hat with a yellow ball on the top that was connected by an 'L'-shaped line of fabric. It had two wooden planks in an 'x'-shape on its back that had red cables that were linked to its hands and feet—it also held a silver hammer that looked as tall as it was and looked 4'10 tall. When the Digimon saw us, it looked confused and said: "Huh? I didn't expect to see humans here…"

Neither Yui nor I responded to this and then he suddenly said: "Oh wait, I know! Is there a Digimon that has you scared?" "Yes! It's a big snake that can spray water from its nose!" Yui said. The Digimon then grinned and said: "Gahahaha! Looks like it was a good thing I was on guard duty, then!" I then heard Yui say: "Huh…?" but I was suspicious of what was going on and immediately turned my head around… only to find a giant sea serpent Digimon slithering up!

It was indeed a giant sea serpent, but it was entirely coated in silver and gold-colored metal… its underbelly was colored gold and its back was silver with two gold stripes around some flippers that were colored gold too. The tips of its two tails were gold as well…its jaw was colored silver and its head was colored gold. It had a gold horn in between its eyes and it had silver, spiky hair behind its head… its nose also looked almost like a tiny cannon… it looked 13'4 tall.

I then said: "Yui… turn around!" "Huh?" Yui said before she did so. When she saw the Digimon, she said: "That's him! That's him! That's the snake that tried to kill me!" The giant sea serpent Digimon then stopped in place and said: "Aw shoot! Looks like I've been spotted! Well now I'm really glad I stationed Puppetmon by the entrance then!" The puppet Digimon—Puppetmon—then laughed and said: "You were right; it _does_ pay to split the work! Now get over here MetalSeadramon and let's finish them off!"

The giant sea serpent Digimon—MetalSeadramon—then slithered around us and also blocked the exit before he said: "Watch it there, Puppetmon! But you are right about it being time to finish them off!" "No! Please, Mr. Keisuke! Get rid of those bad monsters!" Yui said. "I'm on it!" I said. I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "MetalSeadramon scan data: 5%, Puppetmon scan data: 5%." It also said that MetalSeadramon was a data Digimon while Puppetmon was a virus, so this would be tricky…

I then let Blanc, Dorugoramon and BlackWarGreymon step forward and said: "Blanc, use holy light 3 on Puppetmon! Dorugoramon, pump everyone up with attack charge field!" and Blanc said: "Holy light 3!" and caused a shining, exploding cross of light to appear where Puppetmon was. Dorugoramon then said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks, as well as BlackWarGreymon's and Blanc's. Puppetmon then said: "Character reversal!" and leapt at BlackWarGreymon before he smacked him on the head with his hammer and ran back. BlackWarGreymon then said: "Black tornado!" and he put his claws forward and started to spin like a drill before he flew right into MetalSeadramon… but it didn't do too much damage… Puppetmon sure knew how to use the bugged status condition to his advantage! MetalSeadramon then laughed and said: "River of power!" and pointed the nose hole in his face at BlackWarGreymon and then a massive torrential spray of water came out a second later! It hit BlackWarGreymon and knocked him over as he said: "Gaaah! So… darn…" and then I said: "Don't let it get you down, BlackWarGreymon."

Now I could see how Puppetmon was a serious threat, so I said: "Blanc, use protect wave—" before Puppetmon leapt at her and said: "Uh-uh-uh! Puppet pummel!" and slammed his hammer on her, hard! Blanc got up, but looked thoroughly dazed from the hit! MetalSeadramon then said: "River of power!" and sprayed Blanc with another stream of water! I then said: "BlackWarGreymon, use wolkenapalm 3 on Puppetmon! Dorugoramon, use comet hammer 3 on MetalSeadramon!" and BlackWarGreymon said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused a fiery burst to occur where Puppetmon was standing and then Dorugoramon said: "Comet hammer 3!" and made boulders rain down on MetalSeadramon.

MetalSeadramon then grinned and said: "River of power!" and sprayed Blanc with another forceful stream of water… and she was down! I then called her back as MetalSeadramon said: "It's either sink or swim! And she sank! Ahahaha!" I could see what a danger Puppetmon was, so I decided to finish him off quickly. I called out Slayerdramon and said: "Dorugoramon, use attack charge field again! Slayerdramon, use divine dragon slash on Puppetmon! BlackWarGreymon, follow up with black tornado!" Dorugoramon then said: "Attack charge field!" and pumped up everyone's damage output again. Slayerdramon then leapt into the air and came spinning down as he said: "Divine dragon slash!" and a little before he was about to land, he slammed his sword down on Puppetmon, hard! "Eyaahh!" Puppetmon said. BlackWarGreymon then said: "Black tornado!" and spun again before crashing into Puppetmon hard! Puppetmon then said: "Crescent leaf 3!" and made many sharp-edged leaves slash Dorugoramon! MetalSeadramon then followed up by saying: "River of power!" and sprayed BlackWarGreymon with another forceful stream of water before he went down.

I then called in Angewomon and said: "Slayerdramon and Angewomon, attack together! Use holy light 3 and divine dragon slash! Dorugoramon, use acceleration boost!" and then Slayerdramon and Angewomon did so before Dorugoramon said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. Puppetmon then said: "Puppet pummel!" and smashed Dorugoramon on the head with his hammer and while Dorugoramon took the hit hard, he still recovered from it. MetalSeadramon then said: "Ocean wave 3!" and made a wave of water form before him and Puppetmon and it came crashing into our side, hurting Dorugoramon and especially Slayerdramon and Angewomon.

Puppetmon then said: "Crescent leaf 3!" and made more sharp-edged leaves appear around Dorugoramon… and that was all he could take! He then collapsed and I called him back before I sent in Lilithmon. MetalSeadramon then followed up and said: "River of power!" and sprayed Slayerdramon with a forceful stream of water—and he just barely got up… I then said: "Angewomon, Slayerdramon, finish Puppetmon off!" and they attacked as they had already done… but he still got up!

"What?! No!" I said. Puppetmon then said: "Character reversal!" and hit Lilithmon with his hammer! I then said: "Slayerdramon and Angewomon, get Puppetmon! Use holy light 3 and divine dragon slash!" and they did so and this time, he went down! MetalSeadramon then frowned and said: "Ocean wave 3!" and caused a wave of water to appear in front of him and hit our entire side—Slayerdramon even went down!

I then called Lilithmon back (since she was now weak to MetalSeadramon) and sent in Ciel and Plesiomon. I then said: "Ciel, use fury fire! Angewomon, use aura! Plesiomon, use mental break!" and Ciel said: "Fury fire!" and shot at MetalSeadramon twice before Angewomon said: "Aura!" and healed herself and everyone else on our side and Plesiomon said: "Mental break!" and cast a spell on MetalSeadramon that weakened his damage output with magic attacks and damage resistance to magic attacks! MetalSeadramon then said: "Ocean wave 3!" and attacked with it again… and knocked Angewomon out! I then called in Kuzuhamon.

I then said: "Ciel, use fury fire again! Plesiomon, give him a sorrow blue! Kuzuhamon, use nightmare 3!" and Ciel shot at MetalSeadramon again before Kuzuhamon said: "Nightmare 3!" and she made dark purple energy form around MetalSeadramon and it soon burst, knocking him down… He then got back up though. Plesiomon then said: "Sorrow blue!" and sent a blue sound wave from his mouth at MetalSeadramon, which hit him pretty hard! MetalSeadramon then said: "River of power!" and blasted Ciel with a forceful stream of water. My Digimon then attacked as they had the last round before MetalSeadramon used an ocean wave 3 on them. Plesiomon and Kuzuhamon still looked okay, although Ciel looked like she was hurting…

This didn't look so good… Ciel then got up and said: "Fury fire!" and shot at MetalSeadramon again. MetalSeadramon then laughed and said: "You sure are one stubborn bunch! But I'll destroy you in the end! River of power!" and then he blasted Ciel again, and she had trouble getting up this time, but she ran back into the fray again!

"Ciel, stop being so rash! We have to take a different approach!" I said. "A different approach? And what would that be, exactly?" Ciel asked. "Well we're not going to win by fighting him head on. We need to work as a team!" I said. "Oh come on, Keisuke! We've been dropping like flies! It's going to take some extra aggression to take this guy down!" Ciel said. "Stop it, Ciel! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" I asked. "For my tamer, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Ciel replied.

I was stunned when I heard this and couldn't say anything… Ciel then went on: "You created me from an egg, you helped me become confident in myself and you surrounded me with so many wonderful friends… you've done so much for me, Keisuke. And now it's time for me to return the favor! No matter what it takes!" and then she ran in again and said: "Fury fire!" and shot at MetalSeadramon again! MetalSeadramon then laughed as he said: "You really are a feisty little one! But in the end, you're just an insignificant little gnat! Crushing you won't be any chore at all, and when I'm through with you, I'll destroy the rest of your friends too! River of power!" and then he sprayed Ciel again! Ciel then stood (and I ran up behind Ciel and put my hands on her shoulders) as she said: "I'll never give up! No matter what the cost is, I will protect Keisuke and the others!"

And then she suddenly yelled: "RAUUGGHH!" and there was a flash of light! I retracted my hands and shielded my eyes, and when the flash subsided, Ciel was still standing where she was… but she was taller now (she looked as tall as a human adult at 5'7 tall) and her hood now covered her eyes… she looked just like the Ciel I had met at the training gym did when she digivolved!

"Ciel? Did you digivolve?" I asked. "That's right. I realized what was really important to me and digivolved into my awake form!" Ciel said. She sounded like an adult woman now too… she then went on: "Well, this timing couldn't be better! Now I'll use my power I've gained from digivolving to protect the girl, my friends… and you, Keisuke!" She then looked back at me and continued: "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been on the frontlines that much lately, Keisuke… but leave this to me! I'll protect you all with my life!" "Ciel, no!" I said. I then ran up and she looked at me as I said: "We're all in this together! So let's do this the way we always have! We'll win it as a team!" Ciel then giggled before she said: "As a team, huh? Well alright then!" Yui then said: "Go, go, Mr. Keisuke and his Digimon! You can do it!"

MetalSeadramon chuckled before he said: "You really _are_ feisty! But that doesn't change anything! I can't wait to replace your enthusiasm with fear and see you all grovel!" Ciel then turned to MetalSeadramon and said: "It's you who should be afraid of me, MetalSeadramon! You might have had a chance before, but you're just target practice now!" She then went on: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell that raised the damage output of her and everyone else's non-magic attacks! I then said: "Kuzuhamon, give yourself a boost! Plesiomon, heal everyone with X-aura!" Kuzuhamon then said: "Mental charge!" and raised her damage output with magic attacks and her damage resistance to magic attacks. Plesiomon then said: "X-aura!" and restored everyone's health! MetalSeadramon then said: "River of power!" and blasted Plesiomon with water.

"Plesiomon, use mental break again! Kuzuhamon, use nightmare 3!" I said. Plesiomon then said: "Mental break!" and further weakened MetalSeadramon before Kuzuhamon attacked again. Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and shot MetalSeadramon twice, which he took hard! He then said: "Ocean wave 3!" and attacked them with it again.

I then said: "Plesiomon, sorrow blue! Kuzuhamon, give Plesiomon a boost!" and Kuzuhamon said: "Mental charge!" before she boosted Plesiomon and he then said: "Sorrow blue!" and attacked with it again. MetalSeadramon then said: "River of power!" and blasted Kuzuhamon before he said: "Hah! You're all sure a stubborn bunch—" and then Ciel said: "Quit talking big!" "Eh…?" MetalSeadramon said before Ciel said: "You've noticed, haven't you? You're losing. I can see it in your eyes." Ciel then went on: "I'm moving in for the kill now! Acceleration boost!" and she cast a spell to really strengthen her next attack.

MetalSeadramon then said: "River of power!" and blasted Kuzuhamon again before Ciel said: "I bid you farewell, MetalSeadramon! Fury fire!" and she shot at him before she knocked him down… and he wouldn't get up!

Yui then beamed and said: "Yay! Way to go, everyone!" Kuzuhamon looked happy and Plesiomon clapped his flippers together before Ciel smiled and I said: "That was great. Even as strong as those two were, you all pulled through and accomplished something great! And you did it as a team!" I then turned to Ciel and said: "And we owe you a lot of credit, Ciel. You really pulled us through in that battle!" Ciel then smiled and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. But that doesn't matter—the important thing is that you're all okay. I can feel proud of myself knowing that I kept you all safe."

I smiled and said: "You should. Congratulations, Ciel—you've really grown up into an amazing Digimon." She then smiled back and Yui came up behind us and said: "Thank you for saving me! I'm really glad I got to meet you and your Digimon!" I smiled and said: "It was our pleasure. It's one of the more rewarding parts of the business. And of course, we're happy you're okay too, Yui." "Thanks! I have to say, I'm really impressed though…" Yui said and then I said: "Hmm?" and she looked at Ciel as she went on: "Your Digimon is so cool! I want to be just like her when I grow up!" Ciel then smiled and said: "Thanks, sweetie. For now though, we'd better get you back home, before anything else happens." "I agree! Come on, Yui—your grandfather will be happy to see you." I said. "Yeah! I'm happy I'll get to see mommy, daddy and grandpa again!" Yui said.

We all smiled and then left the digital shift. From there, Yui gave us directions to get her home. When we arrived at her front door, Yui walked up to it and knocked. In a moment, an old man opened it and when he saw her, he said: "Y-Yui!" and he hugged her before he said: "I'm so happy to see you! We've all been worried sick! You're not hurt, are you?" "Nope! It's all thanks to Mr. Keisuke and his super cool Digimon!" Yui replied. The old man then looked up and saw me before he looked back down at Yui and said: "That's great. I'm so relieved, I can't even tell you! Now go on inside—everyone will be happy to see you. I'll join you in a moment." And then Yui said: "Okay! Thanks, Grandpa!"

And she ran on inside. The old man then approached me and said: "So you must be the hacker I hired…" and then I said: "Yes, exactly. As Yui said, my name is Keisuke." The old man then grinned and said: "Thank you so much for bringing her back to us safely. She's our pride and joy. I'm glad I thought to hire you for the job." I smiled and said: "She's an amazing child. I'm glad I could help you out." The old man then grinned and said: "She really is." And then he went on: "Still, to think you rescued her with Digimon, the very same creatures that are attacking us… I guess they're not all bad after all. I'll be sure to send you your reward for doing such a great job. Thanks again." "My pleasure." I said back.

I then left and returned to Hudie, where I got back to work. That had been an exciting case… although what really impressed me was how Ciel had risen to the challenge that MetalSeadramon had presented. Her adrenaline had really kicked in for her to be so brave in the face of such a dangerous situation… she was perfect proof that when the going gets tough, the tough get going!


	43. Keisuke: Road to ruin

Keisuke Chapter 22—Road to ruin—

The next day, I went into Hudie and checked the BBS for any new cases. I saw there weren't any in today though, so I simply left Hudie to train my Digimon outside, since Arcadiamon was still rampaging in EDEN. I walked through the streets, but before I could even find a hostile Digimon, my phone started to ring! I took it out and saw it was a call from Erika. I then answered it and said: "Hello?" "Hey Keisuke, it's me. I know you only left recently, but turn around and come back to Hudie, alright? We need to talk—everyone's going to discuss how we're going to stop Arcadiamon." Erika said. "Alright! I'm on my way!" I said.

I then headed back to Hudie and entered again before I came up to the cafe and eventually the cubicles. I looked around and eventually I heard a: "Hey, Keisuke! Over here!" It was Yuri. I then turned to her and saw she was with Erika, Chitose… and Fei! I then approached them as I said: "Ah, it's good to see everyone's here… and Fei too! Welcome!" Yet Fei looked unimpressed and said: "Yeah, yeah. Can we get going now? Arcadiamon's out there raising hell in EDEN after all."

I then felt disheartened as I said: "So I heard… he's been eating Digimon that belong to tamers, right?" "Exactly. He only targets Digimon who have tamers and he's eaten them by the bushel. It's discouraging tamers so much that they're starting to avoid logging into EDEN." Chitose said. "Right. Yuuko's been outraged lately that he's made EDEN so unsafe that people are starting to avoid it, which is why she sent me here. I'm here to put a stop to Arcadiamon's rampage." Fei said.

"Sounds good to me! So what's our plan?" I asked. "We're going to lure Arcadiamon to me. I'll find him while I'm drawing attention to myself, then I'll call you and Chitose in to approach from opposite ends. When we've all got him surrounded, we'll beat him down." Fei said. "Heh-heh! Sounds good to me!" Chitose said. "Right. Naturally, I'll need you both to already be in EDEN when I'm there… otherwise the odds you'll make it to my location in time are doubtful." Fei said. "What about Yuri?" I asked. "I'm staying here to guard Hudie." Yuri replied. "And I'll be supporting you from here." Erika said." Sounds good! Is there anything else we need to know?" I asked. "Nope. Now let's go. Just make sure you all take this seriously." Fei said. "Of course! Now let's go!" I said.

We then left Hudie and logged into EDEN and started to patrol Kowloon level 4. I kept going, but never heard from Fei… it was starting to feel like it had been an hour or so… but then I heard my phone ring again! I answered it and said: "Hello?" and then I heard Fei's voice say: "Hello?" "Fei? What's going on?" I asked. I then heard Chitose's voice say: "…It sounds like you haven't heard I'm here either, huh?" "Chitose? So we're all in the same call?" I asked. I then heard Erika's voice say: "Yes. I called you three." I then heard Fei say: "What's going on?! We're looking for Arcadiamon right now!"

"…I understand that, but this is an important call, I can assure you—this is an emergency." Erika said. Suddenly I felt nervous as I heard Chitose say: "What?! What do you mean?!" "It looks like you've been tricked. Arcadiamon isn't in EDEN—" Erika began and then Fei said: "HUH? How do you know that?!" "Because I looked into his whereabouts… it turns out he's here in Ikebukuro…" Erika said.

I was shocked when I heard this and I said: "WHAT?! So how close is he in proximity to you now, Erika?" "…He was reported as being seen coming in the direction of Hudie. It looks like he's trying to nip us in the bud—" Erika began, but then I could hear someone screaming in the background!

"Uh-oh… Is that…?!" Chitose began and then Erika said: "It… it is! Get back here now! Yuri may be here, but I don't know how long she can fight this thing on her own!" I then heard someone hang up, although it was obviously Erika… Fei then said: "So that was it, huh…? He must have guessed we would try to target him in EDEN and then went to Earth to launch an ambush on our closest friends instead…! Damn, that Digimon is crafty!" "Forget about that! Erika and Yuri are in danger! We have to log out!" I said.

We all then hung up and logged out before we were back in the streets of Ikebukuro again! We all then sprinted to Hudie—we were almost there, but as we were turning in on the street where Hudie was at, there was a massive explosion! When it subsided, there was smoke everywhere, but there was no mistaking where it had come from… Hudie was its epicenter…

And then a gigantic humanoid colossus came walking out… it was almost as tall as the building itself! It walked on two legs and had teal legs and a teal torso, with red stripes on its thighs and chest—it also had long, red toenails with a red blade coming out of the back of each foot. It had tan shoulders, pale orange arms without hands and five red nails coming out of the ends of its arms. It also had red wings with tan edges and a teal head with red hair, red eyes and two red antennae. It then roared and flew off into the distance!

"Shit! We're too late?!" Chitose said. "We've got to see if Erika and the others are okay! Come on!" I said. We then ran to the ruined building that was now Hudie and luckily the stairs were still intact, so we climbed up them and into the building. Unfortunately, it had been reduced to ruins and there were many injured guests on the ground! "Oh my god!" I said. "I'll call for an ambulance! You all look for survivors!" Fei said.

Fei then left the building and Chitose and I helped everyone out. We then ran in back to Erika's office… only to find her on the floor with Wormmon! "Erika! Are you alive?!" I asked. She and Wormmon began to stir before they got up and Erika said: "Y-yes…" Chitose then ran in and hugged her and as soon as he let go, I did the same. When I let go, Chitose said: "Thank god! What happened?!" "Arcadiamon came in and started attacking… Yuri kept him from hurting anyone, but he eventually digivolved and attacked the building before he fled…" Erika said. "But… where is she?! Where's Yuri?!" Chitose asked. Erika then shook her head before she said: "I don't know… but we have to look!"

Erika, Chitose, Wormmon and I all then began to look around and call Yuri's name. We didn't hear anything for a while and Chitose was starting to look worried… he looked down before I said: "This is no time to slow down, Chitose! We have to stay focused!" Chitose nodded and then Wormmon said: "Shh! Do you hear that?" and then we stopped and listened… soon we heard a: "Help… help…" and we all turned to where we heard it… underneath a giant pile of rubble!

"Is she… under there?!" Chitose asked. "At least we know she's alive! Help me move this, Chitose!" I said. He nodded and we moved the rubble aside, piece-by-piece, until we found Yuri beneath it… she looked bruised and badly hurt… "YURI!" Chitose said. We then ran up to her. Chitose and I then helped her out from underneath the rubble. "Yuri, can you stand?" Chitose asked. She tried to, but finally shook her head. "We'll stay with you until the ambulance comes! Don't worry—you're going to be okay!" Chitose said.

We then left the remains of Hudie and when the ambulance finally arrived, they took everyone away for treatment, including Erika and Yuri. As it drove off, Chitose looked devastated and said: "I… I can't believe it…" I nodded and said: "That was a tragedy… at least no one died…" Chitose then nodded and said: "Yeah… but…" and then I turned to him and saw his fists were clenched as he said: "That Arcadiamon… he's going to pay for this!" I nodded and said: "Yeah… for now though, let's go to the hospital. I want to know what happened as soon as possible." Chitose nodded and then we headed to Central Hospital.

When we arrived, we went up to the front desk and explained why we were there before we asked to see a nurse. When one came, we asked about everyone's condition. The nurse then replied: "The guests are going to be fine. Erika will also be undergoing her therapy—" and Chitose and I then looked at each other before we turned back to the nurse and I said: "Um… I'm not sure we're going to be able to pay for that…" "That won't be necessary." The nurse replied. "Huh? Well I'm not complaining, but… how can that be?" Chitose asked. "Because Yuuko Kamishiro—who is now on staff at Kamishiro Enterprises—approved that the costs of Erika's therapy be waived." The nurse said.

"Aw, that's great!" I said. "Yeah, but that was really, really nice of her… we should thank Yuuko the next time we see her." Chitose said. "Well of course! That goes without saying!" I said. "Hee-hee… I'm glad your hearts are in the right place, at least." The nurse said. "But still, there's one more thing I want to know…" Chitose said and then the nurse said: "Yes?" "What about Yuri?! Yuri Kashiwagi! What happened to her?!" Chitose asked. "…Her condition isn't good. She was badly injured and she can barely walk right now." the nurse answered. "WHAT?!" Chitose said. The nurse then went on: "It's possible she may recover… but if she does, it will take a while. So please be patient." We both then looked down…

"Oh, by the way…" the nurse began and then we looked up before she said: "Miss Erika had a Digimon that wanted to see you. You can visit her outside Erika's room on the 12th floor." "Alright. Thank you." I said. The nurse then nodded and walked off. I then said: "Come on—let's go." Chitose nodded and said: "Yeah. It might cheer us up to see Wormmon again."

We then took an elevator to the 12th floor and soon saw Wormmon waiting outside of a hospital room! I then smiled and said: "Wormmon!" and she turned to us and said: "Oh… hey guys!" We then came up to her and she said: "How are you holding up? You okay?" "Yeah of course. We weren't injured in the attack after all." I said. "What about you, Wormmon? You seem in fine spirits for a Digimon that was attacked." Chitose said. Wormmon then smiled and said: "Well of course! Digimon are easily healed after all!"

Then she went on: "Erika's doing okay and she's in her therapy right now. But she had a message she wanted me to give you, too. She said she wants to continue our work at Hudie from her hospital room—" and then Chitose grinned and said: "I like that idea. That way we wouldn't allow Arcadiamon to destroy Hudie. We could prove to him that he can destroy our base, but he can't destroy our ability to operate or our pride as hackers!" Wormmon then smiled and nodded and said: "Right! But there is one small problem…" "What's that?" I asked. "We'd need a PC. And we don't have one right now." Wormmon said. "Well that's not really a problem. All we'd need is a laptop computer, and there are plenty of shops that sell those." I said.

Wormmon then nodded and said: "Yup! I was thinking the same thing! Do you know where a good shop for one is?" I then paused and said: "The parts shop in Nakano… that'd be one where we could buy it at a good price." "Sounds good! Can you go get it, Keisuke?" Wormmon asked. "Of course! What about you, Chitose? Are you coming?" I asked. "I'll stay here. After all that's happened… I need some time." Chitose said. I nodded and said: "That's understandable. Alright, I'll be back!"

I then left for Nakano Broadway. When I arrived, I went straight to the parts shop and went up to an employee. I then said: "Excuse me…" and she turned around but she looked strangely uncomfortable as she did, and I wasn't sure why that was… nonetheless, I continued: "Do you have any laptops in?" "Yes, well, um…" she said and then I said: "Huh?" before she said: "What is that… behind you?" "What?" I asked.

I then heard a woman whose voice I didn't recognize scream and I immediately turned around, but what I saw truly surprised me: it was Erika, but it looked like a projection of her… there were blue data particles all around her and she was translucent, so I could partially see things behind her… "Erika…?" I said. She then walked up and hugged me before she backed away and smiled. She then vanished…

It was completely silent before the employee finally said: "You… you knew that thing?" "You could… say that." I said back. The employee then sighed before she said: "Well anyway, yes, we do have some in. Would you like to take a look?"

I then evaluated their selection and bought the best one I could afford. I then went back to Central Hospital. When I arrived, I went straight to Erika's room and knocked on the door. I then heard Erika say: "Come in." and I entered, only to find Chitose and Wormmon were there too. Erika then said: "Hi Keisuke—"

But then she looked surprised when she saw the laptop. I then said: "Hi Erika. Heh-heh… surprised about the laptop?" "Uh… yeah." Erika said. Suddenly I felt confused by her reaction and Wormmon said: "Sorry! I never told Erika you were coming back with it!" Erika then smiled and said: "So you were going along with my idea to keep Hudie operating, huh? I'm happy to see that—especially since I'd hate for Hudie to be broken up after all of the fun we've had together. Thank you." Chitose and I replied: "Anytime!" Erika then grinned before she asked: "So what happened to Yuri? Is she okay?"

Chitose and I then explained Yuri's condition. By the end of it, Erika looked disheartened as she looked down and said: "Oh… that's terrible… but to think Yuri did so well at protecting everyone so that there were no deaths or anyone else who was permanently injured… she's a real heroine." "Yeah…" I said back. "You're absolutely right, Erika. I just hope she makes a full recovery and soon…" Chitose said. "Well, moping won't get us anywhere! Come on, let's get the PC set up!" Wormmon said.

Chitose and I nodded. We then set up the laptop and when we finished, Wormmon said: "So what are we doing next? Should we go get Arcadiamon?" "Yeah. After all, there's no telling how dangerous he'll become if we let him keep doing as he pleases… or what horrible things he'll do. You two can focus on that. I'll stay here and try to find a way to cure Ryuji's EDEN Syndrome." Erika said to Chitose and I.

"How are you planning to do that?" Chitose asked. "Remember? Suedou gave me his thesis on Eaters. It's bound to contain something I can use to help Ryuji." Erika said. "It's worth a shot… alright, we'll go looking for Arcadiamon. It's time for Hudie to take charge!" I said. "Well said, Keisuke!" Chitose said. We then looked at him as he went on: "Well, I guess I'll go and start digging up dirt on Arcadiamon. See you soon!" and he left the room. I then turned around to leave, but then stopped… I couldn't help but think back on that encounter I had with that phantasmal Erika in Nakano… I wasn't sure if I should bring that to Erika's attention or not, though…

Finally, Erika said: "What is it?" and I turned to her and said: "Erika… did anything strange happen while I was away?" Erika then looked lost in thought before she said: "Well now that you mention it, after my therapy, I did have a strange dream about us taking a walk together in Nakano…" when I heard this, I was surprised. So Erika remembered what happened? Then was that phantasmal thing actually Erika? Erika then looked a little annoyed though and said: "What? What is it?" "…Nothing." I said. I then went on: "Sorry if that sounded weird. I think I'll go and look into Arcadiamon as long as I have time." And then I left Erika's hospital room.


	44. Simon: A fickle friend

Simon Chapter 22—A fickle friend—

I then continued to Nakano. Even after what had happened with Arata, I was glad I'd get to see Yuuko again. She had been such a great friend… I was actually tempted now to ask if she would go on a date with me before I left. I kept going until I finally arrived and I entered Kyoko's office and found Yuuko and Kyoko there! When I came in, they looked up and I said: "Hi Kyoko and Yuuko. What was the big discovery?" "Ah, Simon. Yes, it was an important one—I'm lucky I came across it actually." Kyoko said. "…And? What was it?" Yuuko asked.

"Well first let me outline the situation: Because of Simon's success in befriending Magnamon and Gankoomon, the number of Royal Knights we need to defeat or befriend is down to six: Leopardmon, Crusadermon, Dynasmon, Examon, Craniamon and Kentaurosmon. Of them, we know where Examon and Kentaurosmon are. But the thing is, I've discovered a power source that the Royal Knights are using to strengthen Examon. You probably can guess by looking, but Examon is the most powerful of the Royal Knights and they're trying to make him even stronger for their attack on Earth." Kyoko said.

"That sounds bad… so where's the power source?" I asked. "Kowloon level 5—it's the highest part of Kowloon. If you go there and drain it all, Examon will become much weaker. Think of this as a case from me and Yuuko—we'll be sure to reward you for it." Kyoko said. "Sounds like a plan! I think I'll do that!" I said. Kyoko grinned and said: "Good. However, I must warn you: there is a Royal Knight there, guarding the supply." Yuuko's head then shot up and she said: "And that could be Crusadermon… and after all she did to me and Rie…" and then she went on: "Please let me go with Simon, Kyoko! I need to get back at her!" "Alright. The more the merrier, wouldn't you agree, Simon?" Kyoko asked. "Absolutely! With Yuuko on board, we'll succeed for sure!" I said. Kyoko smiled and said: "Great. Then you'd both best be off." "Alright! We'll be back!" I said.

Yuuko and I headed up to the fourth floor, where we approached a terminal there. Yuuko then said: "Okay, let's go! To Kowloon level 5!" "Well… can I have a chance to switch my Digimon out, Yuuko? I'll meet you there." I said. Yuuko then sighed and said: "Fine. Come as soon as you can, okay?" I nodded and she logged into Kowloon while I logged into the Digilab.

When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and switched out the Digimon in my phone so that Pepper, Jason, Zephyr, Sabrina, Daisy, Arthur, Scott, Larry and Eustace were in it (leaving Gil and Elena in the farm island) and then I logged out and logged into Kowloon level 5. When I arrived, I saw Yuuko standing by the entrance. I then approached her, but before I could say anything, Yuuko said: "You are so late… are you even taking this seriously?"

I was surprised at this behavior… it wasn't like Yuuko at all… nonetheless, I said: "I'm sorry, I just wanted to be as prepared as possible. It is an important mission after all." "You're darn right, it's important! This is my chance for revenge on Crusadermon! So you'd better be ready." Yuuko said. "I understand you being all fired up over this Yuuko—that Digimon has put you through a lot of pain after all—but don't tense up too much. That'll hinder your ability to focus." I said. Yuuko then frowned and said: "There you go, trying to worry about me again… just please don't put on this weird act of pretending we're friends now. I don't know what went on inside my heart, but… as far as I know, you and I aren't friends yet."

I could feel myself frowning when I heard this… how could she be… such a jerk… I then said: "Well I guess that's enough talk for now. Let's hit the road, eh?" "Yes, let's." Yuuko said back. We then traversed through Kowloon level 5. We came up on a fork in the road and took the left side… only once we stepped there, a big black puddle appeared at our feet! "Wah! What is…?!" I began, but then we were suddenly warped away!

When we came to a full stop, we were back at an earlier spot. "So it looks like Crusadermon booby-trapped the area…" I said. "I'd say so. Grr, that dirty—! I'm going to get her for this! Come on, Simon! We have to make our way through!" Yuuko said. I then followed Yuuko. We had a bit of a walk in store, as we encountered more of those black puddle traps (but at least they remained visible after we set them off) and had some battles along the way. We eventually made our way to an area further in… and there was what looked like an upward stream of data in the distance!

"Is that… the power source?" I asked. "It looks that way. You'd better watch out, Crusadermon! You're mine now!" Yuuko said. She then took off, but I stopped… Yuuko eventually turned around and said: "What is it?!" "…I understand how you feel Yuuko, but please don't let your heart turn to stone over this. You have a lot to offer everyone." I said. "Wha…what are you talking about?! She tormented me and Rie! Of course I'd be tense! Now get your head out of the clouds and let's go!" Yuuko said. "Hmph…" I said as I followed.

Eventually, we came up on the power source and saw it was guarded… but not by Crusadermon! The Digimon guarding it looked like a giant knight and walked on two legs. It had purple mail and wore blue greaves, a blue breastplate and blue forearm guards over the mail. It had black and red pauldrons with a yellow skull painted in the center over its shoulders and a blue tasset around its hips with a black, blue and red cloth draping over the front, which it had pinned by a skull-like pin. Oddly, its head was much smaller than the rest of its body—even with a blue-and-lavender helm on—and its mouth was protected by a guard that looked like teeth. It held a giant shield in its right hand that had red borderlines and was colored black with a yellow sword symbol in the center and a giant dual-edged spear in its left hand. It looked 8'9 tall.

When the Digimon saw us, it said: "Hmm? I didn't think I'd see any humans here… still, I'm glad I'm here then. Now I will serve an honorable purpose defending Examon and enforcing King Drasil's will." "Grr! You're kidding! It's just some other Digimon and not even Crusadermon?!" Yuuko said. "Is that what you were expecting…? Well too bad for you, Crusadermon is off wiping out more humans." The Digimon said. "…So who are you then?" I asked. "I am Craniamon, a Royal Knight loyal to my king." The Digimon replied. He then went on: "Now the time has come for you to leave. If you do not… you will not leave in one piece."

"You don't scare us! You might as well stand aside and save yourself your untimely demise now." Yuuko said. Craniamon shook his head as he said: "Stupid human… You're completely delusional. And even if you do win, I don't fear death. That's part of what made me a successful Royal Knight—I will do anything for the good of my king." "Hmph. You stubborn—" Yuuko began and then I said: "That's enough, Yuuko. He's not Crusadermon after all. Simmer down and screw your head back on." "What… what did you say?!" Yuuko asked.

For the first time ever, I ignored her and then I felt my phone vibrate. I checked it and it said: "Craniamon scan data: ERROR." It did say he was a vaccine Digimon though, so I called out Sabrina, Daisy and Arthur while Yuuko called out Machinedramon. Craniamon then said: "Let's begin then. Awesome quake 3!" and he made a giant boulder form in between our Digimon and then it shattered, raining down stone shards on our Digimon. Machinedramon took it pretty hard, while Sabrina, Daisy and Arthur basically shrugged it off. I then said: "Arthur, use guard charge field! Sabrina, use holy light 3! Daisy, use Gaia element 3!" and Arthur said: "Guard charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted our side's damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light form where Craniamon was! Daisy then said: "Gaia element 3!" and she made a green sphere of energy engulf Craniamon. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use attack charge field!" and Machinedramon said: "Attack charge field!" and he increased all of the Digimon on our side's damage output with non-magic attacks!

I then said: "Arthur, use judgement of the blade! Sabrina, use holy light 3 again!" and Arthur said: "Judgement of the blade!" and flew at Craniamon before he slashed at him with the blades on his arms, legs and tail. Arthur then flew back as Sabrina said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked Craniamon with it again. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and shocked Craniamon with electricity. Craniamon then attacked with awesome quake 3 again and Daisy said: "Gaia element 3!" and engulfed Craniamon with a sphere of green energy again.

Craniamon then said: "Grand rock 3!" and made a boulder appear where Machinedramon was and it burst—and Machinedramon went down from it! "What? No! I wasn't strong enough to…?!" Yuuko began and then Craniamon said: "My, my, how disappointing. That Digimon was weak. You haven't trained him well at all." Yuuko then grimaced at him before she called Machinedramon back. I then said: "Arthur, use attack charge field! Daisy, use thorn whip!" and Arthur boosted my Digimons' damage output with non-magic attacks! Daisy then said: "Thorn whip!" and lashed Craniamon with her whip before looking a little revitalized. Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked with it again.

Craniamon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. I thought no one would go down next turn, even with it, but just to be safe, I said: "Arthur, use weltgeist! Daisy, use thorn whip! Sabrina, use final heal on Daisy!" and Arthur said: "Weltgeist!" and assumed a defensive position before Daisy said: "Thorn whip!" and lashed Craniamon again. Sabrina then said: "Final heal!" and she restored Daisy completely!

Craniamon then positioned his dual-edged spear horizontally and said: "Waltz's end!" and started spinning around, bashing into my Digimon! Arthur wasn't affected (because of his weltgeist defense), but Daisy and Sabrina were hit surprisingly hard—Sabrina even went down from the attack! When Craniamon stopped, Arthur flew over to him and slashed at him with his arms before he flew back. "Ugh! I didn't expect a disadvantaged Digimon to do so much damage…" I said and then Craniamon said: "I didn't get to be a Royal Knight by being that weak."

I then called back Sabrina and sent in Eustace. I then said: "Eustace, heal Daisy with X-heal! Arthur, use guard charge field! Daisy, get 'em with thorn whip!" and Arthur said: "Guard charge field!" and increased everyone's damage resistance further. Daisy then said: "Thorn whip!" and lashed Craniamon again. Eustace then said: "X-heal!" and restored Daisy's health!

Craniamon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and attacked my Digimon with it again. "Eustace, use mental charge field! Arthur and Daisy, attack with judgement of the blade and Gaia element 3!" I said. Eustace then said: "Mental charge field!" and boosted our side's damage output with magic attacks and our damage resistance to magic attacks. Arthur then said: "Judgement of the blade!" and slashed at Craniamon again before Daisy said: "Gaia element 3!" and engulfed him with a green sphere!

Craniamon then said: "Grand rock 3!" and he attacked Eustace with an exploding boulder again. "Arthur, use attack charge field! Daisy and Eustace, attack with thorn whip and arctic blizzard!" I said and Daisy said: "Thorn whip!" and lashed Craniamon again while restoring herself and Eustace said: "Arctic blizzard!" and went up to Craniamon and froze him in a block of ice with his freezing breath before he took his flail and shattered the ice with it, knocking Craniamon over!

Craniamon was starting to look beat at this stage and said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. "Arthur, use weltgeist! Daisy and Eustace, get ready to block!" I said. Arthur then said: "Weltgeist!" and assumed a defensive position, as did Daisy and Eustace. Craniamon then said: "Waltz's end!" and started to spin around and attack my Digimon all over again! Luckily things went a lot better this time though—nobody actually went down (although Eustace looked hurt) and Arthur struck back at Craniamon after it was over! "Eustace, give yourself an X-heal! Arthur, use guard charge field! Daisy, use thorn whip!" I said. And they all then did so.

Craniamon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and boosted himself again… I then said: "Arthur, use weltgeist! Eustace, heal Daisy with X-heal! Daisy, hit him with thorn whip!" and they did so. Craniamon then said: "Waltz's end!" and then I said: "Eustace and Daisy—block!" and they did so (although Eustace still went down) and Arthur struck back at Craniamon before I said: "Finish him off, Arthur—judgement of the blade!" and then Arthur slashed at him and knocked him over… and he wouldn't get up! We had won!

"Ngh… to have broken through my defense… very well. Now you must do away with me, the loser." Craniamon said. "Craniamon…" I said and he looked up as I said: "It doesn't have to be this way. We don't want to fight Digimon. Please stop this unnecessary bloodshed and fight with us." "Fight with you…? Nonsense. King Drasil has said humans are our enemy. To help you would be to betray my king. I cannot do that—" Craniamon began, but then I said: "The Eaters are the enemy! They were the ones that did all the damage to your world. You don't have to see everything in such black-and-white terms. We can get along."

"I'll do whatever my king says… and he told me to destroy your species. So I cannot help you. If you are speaking honestly, I admire your seeming-kindness, but I can't betray my king. If you intend to do away with me, do it now." Craniamon said. I looked down before I said: "…As you wish." And then I turned to Arthur and Daisy as I said: "Finish him off." And they attacked him until he faded away…

Yuuko then went up to the power source and brought up a screen of data (and I did so in suit) and we hacked it and shut it down. Yuuko then said: "There. Now Examon won't have much longer at full strength… and then we can bring him down." "Yup. It looks that way. Well, mission complete. Let's head back to Kyoko." I said. Yuuko nodded and we went back and logged out and went back to Kyoko's office. When we entered, Kyoko looked up and said: "Ah, there you are. So how did it go? Did you disrupt the power source?"

We then recounted all that had happened to Kyoko and then she looked focused before she said: "Hmm… so Crusadermon wasn't there after all… to think it was Craniamon instead…" I expected Yuuko was going to say something after Kyoko said this, but she actually looked lost in thought as Kyoko went on: "Still, that may be for the best. We were able to do away with another one of our enemies this way—and Examon will soon follow as a result. Good work, you two." "Thanks, Kyoko." I said.

Then I went on: "So now that Examon is weakened, I guess the next step will be finishing him off, huh?" "Absolutely. We'll need to get in contact with Nokia—not just to see if she can help, but also so Omnimon can contact the other Royal Knights on our side as well." Kyoko said. "Alright then. I'll go call her now. See you, Kyoko, Yuuko." I said.

I then headed for the door, but as soon as I was halfway there, I heard Yuuko say: "Um…" and then I turned around and said: "Yes? What is it?" and she said: "I… I'm really sorry about all of those nasty things I said in Kowloon, Simon. I was so tense, I don't know what came over me…"

Suddenly, I felt overwhelmingly annoyed and I closed my eyes as I could feel myself grimacing. We had been friends for so long, I had trusted her… I had even started to develop feelings for her… and she had gone and turned on me. I felt betrayed and angry and couldn't say anything… "Um… Simon?" Yuuko said. Finally, I opened my eyes and said: "Go home, Yuuko."

"Huh?!" Yuuko said. I didn't respond though and then she went on: "Well… at least let me give you your reward for the case—" and then I said: "That's fine, keep it. I don't want it." "Wh-what?!" Yuuko said. "Well I'd be happy to accept Simon's reward for the agency, if he's relinquishing his prize." Kyoko said. "Oh… of course. Here…" Yuuko said as she gave it to Kyoko. She then backed away slowly as she said: "E-excuse me…" and then she ran out the door.

Kyoko then looked at me and said: "Well that certainly could have gone better. What in the world happened back there? You seemed so excited to go before…" "Kyoko…" I said and then she said: "Well?" I then sighed and said: "Okay, it's like this…" and then I explained that I liked Yuuko, that I wanted to ask her on a date when we were done and about all of the things she had said and done when we were in Kowloon together.

By the end of it, Kyoko looked focused and said: "Hmm… so you liked her…" then she went on: "I see. That must have been very hard for you then. I'm sorry, Simon." And then she continued: "However, I'm still going to expect you to not do something like that in front of a client again. We are a business and as an employee, you have a big effect on the Kuremi Detective Agency. So no more of that, okay Simon?" "I understand. I'll be more careful next time." I said. "Good. However, I also want you to know I'm not entirely without sympathy for you—that was a difficult situation and with your feelings, I can understand it a little. Just please don't let it hurt you too much for too long." Kyoko said. I smiled and said: "Thanks, Kyoko. You really are kind. I'm lucky I have you as a boss." Kyoko then smiled and said: "I'm glad to hear that. And now that you've gotten out of the dumps, you'd better call Nokia." "Right." I said.


	45. Simon: Dragon slaying

Simon Chapter 23—Dragon slaying—

I then left the agency and called Nokia. In a few moments, I heard her say: "Hello?" "Hi Nokia. It's Simon calling." I said. "Hi Simon! Um… what's with your tone, though? You sound tense…" Nokia said. "…It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I said back. "Hmm… alright. So what were you calling about?" Nokia asked. "Yuuko and I recently worked together to cut off a special power source the Royal Knights are using to strengthen Examon. Now that it's offline, Examon is going to be vulnerable, and we were planning to launch an attack on him. Could you please ask Omnimon to contact our Royal Knight allies to see when they could attack Examon?" I asked. "Leave it to me! As soon as we have an answer, I'll let you know!" Nokia said. "Great. Thank you, Nokia." I said. "Sure! I'll talk to you soon!" Nokia said.

We then said goodbye and hung up. As long as I had some free time, I decided to go to the Digilab and see if I could digivolve any of my Digimon to prepare for the upcoming battle. I then went to the fourth floor and logged into the Digilab. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and checked the digivolution terminal to see if anyone could digivolve… and saw that Larry, Pepper and Jason all could!

I then rounded everyone up and brought them into the Digilab. When they were all there, Arthur said: "Looks like someone's digivolving again, huh?" I smiled and said: "Exactly right, Arthur! This time it's Larry, Pepper and Jason!" Jason then reared up and said: "Alright! Now that's something to be excited about!" "Yeah! We're finally going to be mega Digimon, at last!" Pepper said. Even Larry grinned and I said: "I'm glad you're all excited." And then I turned to Larry and said: "So Larry, are you all ready to go?" "You bet." He said back.

I then digivolved him into a Titamon—when the process finished, he was humanoid and still walked on two legs. He was muscular and had green skin on his upper body with green shoulder armor (and of almost exactly the same color, which made it hard to tell apart) that had orange stripes and hollowed empty spots like eyes, as well as three spikes on them. His arms were massive and he had yellow, spiky forearm guards on them with black segments on them—he even had a sword in his left hand that was almost as tall as he was! He had a yellow tasset around his waist and more green leg armor with orange stripes on it. He had yellow and green greaves and spiky yellow boots. He had a yellow helmet with two sets of yellow horns that had orange stripes, one set in front and one set in back (the set in back was much taller) and had gray dreadlocks. He was ridiculously tall at 12'10 tall.

I then said: "Alright! Congratulations Larry! Now you've really reached a new level, in height and power!" "Yup—it's thrilling to be at the top, at last!" Larry said. "Finally, some enthusiasm! That's an improvement for you." Scott teased. We all then laughed as Larry grinned and lightly slapped Scott behind the head before he went back to the group.

Pepper then came forward and said: "I'm all ready to go, Simon! Make it happen!" I smiled and said: "You got it! You'll be a mega Digimon in no time!" and then I digivolved Pepper into a WarGreymon, like Nokia's Omnimon used to be. When the process ended, I said: "And now you've made it to the mega level, Pepper! Great job!" Pepper then smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon. Now I can really keep all of you safe from anything that comes our way!" Elena then grinned and said: "Ha ha… how like you, Pepper. But you've been doing a great job already." Pepper then turned to her and smiled before he said: "Thanks, Elena. I'm glad everyone thinks so! And I'll keep it up! Just leave it to me!" He then went off with the others.

Jason then came up and said: "And it looks like I'm wrapping this up! So let's get started—I know it'll be worth the wait!" I smiled and said: "You're absolutely right, Jason! Now it's time to reap the results of your training!" and I digivolved him into a Kentaurosmon, like the one we were looking for—he was a centaur-like Digimon who walked on six legs. His midsection on the lower, horse-like part of his body was gray and had a black and yellow saddle. His legs had red and blue armor with gold rings above his black hooves and he had a long, white tail. On his humanoid upper body, he wore a white cloth and a red, animal-shaped breastplate like a face with green eyes, a gold muzzle and a purple nose. He also wore a black belt. He had gray shoulders with gold antler-like objects coming out of the backs of them and a gray neck. His face was gray and red and he had a purplish-pink mane. His arms had black and red armor and he had a crossbow bound to his right arm and held an enormous, red and blue shield (with two eye-like patterns painted on) in his left arm. He looked 8'11 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "And now you're a mega Digimon too! Congratulations, Jason!" "Yeah. It looks like I ended up digivolving into another Digimon that's a species of a member of the Royal Knights too… it's quite an honor to even be a lookalike, but I'll do everything I can to live up to it!" Jason said. When I heard this, I smiled and said: "I know you will, Jason! You'll be a better Kentaurosmon than even the Royal Knight!" Jason then smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon. It's just like you to say something like that… you've always been such an amazing tamer to us. I'll give it my all then!" and then he went over to the others.

When everything wrapped up, I added Jason, Zephyr, Sabrina, Daisy, Arthur, Scott, Larry, Elena and Gil to my phone (leaving Pepper and Eustace in the farm island) and left the Digilab. As soon as I did though, I got a phone call! I checked and saw Nokia was calling, so I picked it up and said: "Hello?" and Nokia said: "Simon, Simon, listen to this! Omnimon asked the other Royal Knights, and they said they can all be ready as early as tonight! Does that work for you?" "You bet it does! I'll just tell Yuuko and we'll be there!" I said. "Great! Omnimon and I will be coming too, so see you tonight!" Nokia said. "Sure. See you then, Nokia!" I said.

We then hung up. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to calling Yuuko after what had happened, but I knew I had a responsibility to do so… I then called Yuuko and… she didn't answer. I left a message telling her the attack on Examon would be tonight and she could come to Odaiba to join in if she wanted. After that, I trained for a few hours until I departed for Odaiba…

When I arrived, I saw the area had suffered serious damage… overpasses and buildings had been wrecked and flaming wreckage was everywhere! It looks like it doesn't pay to live near where Examon had taken up residence… I then called out Zephyr, Sabrina and Scott and when I did, Scott looked around and said: "Whoa! This place has taken a pounding…" Zephyr looked around sadly and said: "It is tragic… to see so much destruction having taken place…" "I know how you feel… we can't let it get us down, though." Sabrina said. She then turned to me and said: "Looks like we've arrived in Odaiba, huh?" "That's right. We're going to have to fight Examon soon, so stay sharp." I said. Everyone nodded and then we got moving.

We then moved through the area, until we came up to a giant building and we could see a gigantic dragon Digimon at the top… the fact that it was visible from all the way down _here_ was incredible! "Oh my god…! What _is_ that thing?!" I asked. "That's him! That's Examon!" Scott said. "Ugh… fighting a Digimon that size isn't going to be easy by any stretch…" I said. "At least we have our allies on the way. Let's go!" Sabrina said. I nodded and we climbed to the top.

When we arrived on the top floor, Examon was directly in front of us! He was a humanoid dragon with red skin, a silver underbelly, silver spikes on his shoulders and he had two long silver horns on his head with yellow tips. He also had a red tail with a silver underside and spikes all the way down it and his back. He also had three spikes coming horizontally out of his cheeks on either side and a silver and yellow nose tusk with two red spots on it, as well as an upside-down silver tusk coming out of his chin, like a goatee. He had three claws on each hand and feet that were silver and had yellow tips, four giant maroon wings and held an odd weapon, which looked like a lance and a rifle in one… He looked like he was worn out though… I took advantage of the opportunity to get behind the stairwell we had come out of and when I did, I looked around, but didn't see anyone else here! I guess we must have gotten here first…

We then waited for everyone else. Nothing happened for a bit, but soon I heard Nokia's voice… she said: "Yikes! _That's_ Examon?" and then Omnimon hiss: "Shh! Don't draw his attention!" I then got near the side and peeked my head around the corner as I said: "Psst!" and Nokia and Omnimon turned to me. I then gestured for them to come over and they immediately did so. When they arrived, Nokia whispered: "It doesn't look like anyone else has shown up yet, huh?" "No… we're just going to have to wait…" I said.

We then waited and soon Yuuko came, followed by our Royal Knight allies. When they all arrived, Magnamon said: "It looks like the whole team's here, huh? Even so, this is going to be one heck of a fight…" "Right! We'll have to steel ourselves for one heck of a battle." Gallantmon said. Gankoomon then turned to me and said: "Where's Jesmon?" "He's with me—he's just in my phone right now." I replied. "Ah, good. I'm glad you gave him the chance to be here. Now let's see…" Gankoomon began before he went on: "For a battle like this, we should attack from all sides. Seeing as how I can't float or fly, I will assist you on the frontlines." Then he turned to Omnimon, Magnamon and Gallantmon and said: "Magnamon, Gallantmon, Omnimon, can you attack him from the air?" "Of course I can!" Magnamon said. "I can too. You needn't worry—I'll get the job done." Gallantmon said. "I only take orders from Nokia." Omnimon said. He then turned to her and said: "What do you think? Should I provide support from behind the lines?" "Sure! I know you'll do great Omnimon!" Nokia said. Omnimon grinned and then Gankoomon said: "It looks like we have our plan." "Right. So to summarize, Yuuko, Gankoomon and I will be attacking from the front, while Omnimon, Gallantmon and Magnamon will be attacking from behind him." I said. We all nodded and I said: "Alright then. Time to charge, everyone!"

Yuuko, Gankoomon and I then ran up to Examon (and Omnimon, Gallantmon and Magnamon flew around Examon) and then Yuuko said: "Machinedramon, start us off!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and shocked Examon with electricity! Examon then recoiled and looked at us before he said: "You'd dare to attack me, hmm? You'd better be ready for the consequences!" and then I felt my phone vibrate. I took it out and it said: "Examon scan data: ERROR." But it did say Examon was a data type Digimon, so I called back Sabrina and Zephyr and sent out Larry and Gil and said: "Scott, attack with lightning joust! Larry, Gil, use comet hammer 3 and wind claw 3!" Scott then said: "Lightning joust!" and rammed into Examon with his lance! Larry then said: "Comet hammer 3!" and made boulders come falling down on Examon! Gil then said: "Wind claw 3!" and he flew over and raked Examon with his claws. Examon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks. Gankoomon then said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted everyone on our side's damage output with non-magic attacks.

Examon then said: "Gale storm 3!" and used a windstorm to attack all of our Digimon! I then said: "Alright everyone, attack the same way again!" and they all repeated their last actions. Gankoomon then said: "Quake! Blast! Fire! Father!" and stomped his foot down before a giant yellow-colored, serpent-like dragon appeared behind him and they attacked Examon together! As the serpent vanished, Yuuko said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3 again!" and he did so.

Examon then said: "Critical charge!" and he cast a spell to make it easier to identify our team's weak points. "Machinedramon, attack with nanomachine break 3 again!" Yuuko said. And he did so. I then said: "Scott, use lightning joust! Gil, use wind claw 3! Larry, use acceleration boost!" and Scott and Gil attacked with them again while Larry said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. Gankoomon then said: "I think I'll take a page from your book! Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack.

Yuuko then had Machinedramon use nanomachine break 3 again while Gankoomon said: "Quake! Blast! Fire! Father!" and attacked with the yellow serpent-like dragon again. I then said: "Alright, let him have it! Lightning joust, wind claw 3 and soul core attack!" and Scott said: "Lightning joust!" and attacked Examon with it before Gil said: "Wind claw 3!" and he hit Examon with it too. Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and ran up to Examon and slashed at him with his giant sword! Examon howled in pain after he was hit and then looked furious as he said: "Dragonic impact!" and he flew in a circle before he came back and smashed into our Digimon! They all took it okay, but when he flew back, I saw Scott, Gil and Larry get sent back to my phone! "What? Guys?!" I said. Before I could do anything though, Jason, Sabrina and Elena were all automatically called out!

"What the…?" I said and then Gankoomon said: "Ah, that's one of Examon's nastier tricks. If you have more Digimon than are currently out, he'll hit all the ones you have out and then forcibly switch them for you. Don't worry about your other Digimon—they're okay, they're just no longer out, that's all." But then Examon said: "Gale storm 3!" and caused another windstorm! Jason took it the hardest and then I said: "Jason, heal Gankoomon! Use final heal! Sabrina, use amethyst mandala! Elena, get him with fist of Athena!" and then Jason said: "Final heal!" and restored Gankoomon's health. Gankoomon then said: "Thank you for that." And Sabrina said: "Amethyst mandala!" and she swung her staff around before a magic circle formed on the ground beneath her and flower petals went flying into the air as a dome of energy formed around her and shot outward! Examon looked mad after he took the hit (doubtlessly because it got rid of his attack boost) and then Elena ran up and leapt at Examon as she said: "Fist of Athena!" and hit him with a forceful punch and flipped backward back onto the building as he recoiled. Machinedramon then said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and shocked Examon again. Gankoomon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack!

Examon then flew in a circle again and came back at us as he said: "Dragonic impact!" and smashed into our Digimon again and once again, mine got switched out… this time Daisy, Arthur and Larry all got called out! When Arthur saw Gankoomon, he said: "Ah, Gankoomon! So good to see you out in the field again—" and then Gankoomon said: "Stay focused, my former apprentice! This is no time for you to be socializing!" Arthur then turned and eyed Examon before he said: "…Indeed." And then he said: "Attack charge field!" and strengthened everyone! Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3!" and Machinedramon did so before Gankoomon said: "Quake! Blast! Fire! Father!" and attacked Examon with the yellow serpent-like dragon again. I then said: "Daisy, Larry! Use thorn whip and soul core attack!" and Daisy said: "Thorn whip!" and lashed Examon from the building before Examon recoiled and his hand fell on the building. Larry then ran up to it and said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at it! Examon then roared out and fell backwards!

We ran forward to the edge of the building (and Magnamon, Gallantmon and Omnimon all flew over) to see him fall what must have been hundreds of feet into the bay… Examon then fell straight in (causing a colossal splash) and floated back up, but he wasn't moving right now… he then started to fade away as Nokia said: "Looks like he's down and out! Way to go team!" "Right! A job well done, everyone! There aren't that many Royal Knights left who are against us, either!" Magnamon said. "Exactly. Now it should be down to only a handful of Royal Knights left who oppose us. If we're lucky, this may wrap up soon." Gallantmon said. "Yup! We'll be working hard to make that happen." Nokia said.

"Right. That being said, it looks like we're done here. Thank you for coming, Magnamon, Gallantmon and Gankoomon. This was a lot easier with your help." I said. "Think nothing of it! It was a pleasure to help out." Gankoomon said. "Be sure to call us again for the next attack, okay? We're happy to help!" Magnamon said. I grinned and said: "We'll do that. Thanks!" I then turned to Nokia, Omnimon and Yuuko before I said: "And thank you as well, Nokia, Omnimon and Yuuko—you all were equally helpful in this battle." Nokia smiled and nodded while Yuuko looked a little relieved before she nodded. Our Royal Knight allies then went off, while Nokia, Yuuko and I went to report our success to Kyoko.

Once we returned to Nakano, we entered Kyoko's office and she looked up before she said: "Ah, welcome back! So how did the attack on Examon go?" "It was a complete success! Examon's no more, because of our teamwork!" Nokia said. "That's excellent! With his level of power, you should all be proud for bringing him down!" Kyoko said. We grinned as she went on: "Well then… with Craniamon and now Examon out, all that leaves is Leopardmon, Crusadermon, Dynasmon and Kentaurosmon. That being said, I suppose we should finish what we started and see if we can get Kentaurosmon on our side." "Alright then. Leave it to us, Kyoko." I said. She nodded and said: "Good. Make sure you get some rest before you go off, though—you'll need it after fighting a Digimon like Examon." "Sounds good to me. I'll go do that then. Bye, everyone." Yuuko said. "Bye Yuuko!" Nokia said as Yuuko left. Nokia then went on: "Well, I should be going too. See ya, Simon, Kyoko!" and she left.

I then turned to Kyoko and said: "I think I'll take a break too…" and Kyoko said: "I'm glad to hear that, especially with you running all over the place and with all the stress you had to endure recently. Be sure to recover properly, Simon." I smiled and said: "Thanks, Kyoko. I hope you do too." "Don't worry about me, Simon—as exciting as my job is, I'm always careful to pace myself." Kyoko said. We then smiled and I took it easy for the rest of the day.


	46. Keisuke: Behind the mask

Keisuke Chapter 23—Behind the mask—

I then spent the next few days researching Arcadiamon and taking cases. One day after I completed one and was headed back to the hospital though, I got a call! I checked my phone and saw it was Erika calling! I then answered it and said: "Hello?" "Hey Keisuke, it's me. I've just had a breakthrough in locating Arcadiamon." Erika said. "So you know where he is?" I asked. "Well I suppose it would be more accurate to say I know where he was… he was seen in the Demons' old base, the Demons' Den, a few hours ago." Erika replied. "Huh? Wait a minute—I thought the Demons broke up?" I asked. "That's what I heard too, but… it looks like those sources were wrong. They must have been continuing to operate this whole time in stealth." Erika said back.

"Hmm… I'm not sure why Arcadiamon would target other bad guys, but… okay! I don't have the URL to the Demons' Den though…" I said. "Not a problem. Fei gave it to me at my request. I'll send it to you now." Erika said. I then felt my phone vibrate and I said: "Great! I'll go look for Arcadiamon now then!" "Good. Just be careful, okay? Both of the factions you're going to be dealing with have villains." Erika said. "I hear ya! See you soon!" I said.

We then said goodbye and hung up. Soon I arrived at the hospital and I prepared to log in to the Demons' Den, but then I decided to come a bit more prepared and determine what Digimon to take in the Digilab first. I then logged in and when I arrived, Mirei looked at me and I said: "Hi, Mirei. How are you today?" "I'm doing well Keisuke, thanks for asking. Conversely, do you have a minute? I had something I was hoping to talk to you about." Mirei replied. "Of course I do. What is it?" I asked. "I just developed an update that will increase your phone's memory! I was hoping you'd have the chance to install it, given the times." Mirei said. "Really? That's great! Let's do it!" I said.

Mirei then sent me an E-mail and I opened it and installed the update and (sure enough) the memory on my phone went way up! "Looks like it was a success! Thank you, Mirei!" I said. She smiled and said: "No problem. With it, you should be able to fit all 11 of your Digimon into your phone, so you won't need to come back and keep swapping them in and out of farm islands anymore." "Wow, that's great! It's been so long since I was in that position…" I said. "I suppose so. Even so, I hope you'll still come by every once in a while." Mirei said. "Of course! I'll still need to heal my Digimon and it'll be nice to catch up with you, Mirei." I said. She then grinned and said: "Thank you, Keisuke. Well I'm sure you'll enjoy the extra independence too. Now you'd best be off to put that update to good use—and keep being so good to your Digimon too." "Of course! See you soon!" I said.

I then added all my Digimon to my phone and logged out, then logged into the Demons' Den. When I arrived though, I saw a bunch of guys doubled over… they looked hurt! I then ran forward and said: "What happened here?!" they all then turned to me and one said: "Huh…? Hey, how'd you get in here?!" "Relax, okay? I'm not here to hurt you. What happened?" I asked.

"A hideous monster like a humanoid beast with wings suddenly appeared. We tried fighting it, but it walloped us. Then it ate our Digimon and attacked us… and then that damn traitor K abandoned us and fled through a backdoor, leaving us to fend for ourselves—" one began, but then I said: "HUH? K was here?!" "Of course! He's our leader!" another tamer said. Another then went on: "…Or he was, before he abandoned us. Tch… I can't take this anymore. If our leader is going to give up on us, then I'll give up on HIM!"

The other tamers then agreed one-by-one and logged out. I guess the Demons have truly disbanded now… nonetheless, I started looking around. One of them had mentioned that K had fled through a backdoor… maybe I could find some trace of it… I looked around until I went to the upper-right hand corner of the Demons' Den, where I saw a crimson oval with two crimson circles around it! This looked like it could be it… I then tried to access it and felt myself being warped to where it led!

I then was dropped off in a server with many dark red, brown and yellow platforms with purple and magenta blocks in the distance… I looked around, but I didn't see K anywhere, so I decided to proceed further in. I called out Blanc, Dianamon and Ciel. When they saw where we were, Ciel said: "Well, this scenery is certainly out of the ordinary… where are we, Keisuke?" "We're in a special server. I'm here looking for K and Arcadiamon—" I began, and then Blanc said: " _Those_ losers again?" "You know them, Blanc?" Dianamon asked. "…Yes I do. K is a bloodthirsty tamer whose Digimon I fought a while back and Arcadiamon is a horrible Digimon who eats other Digimon." Blanc said. "Neither sound like any decent sort to associate with… this will be a dangerous mission, so we'll have to proceed carefully." Dianamon said. "My thoughts exactly, Dianamon. Make sure you're all watching your backs." I said. "Of course! I'll be looking out for everyone, rest assured!" Ciel said. We all smiled and then proceeded further in.

As we went through the server, we had some battles with other Digimon, but things eventually quieted down, so I called Blanc, Dianamon and Ciel back. I soon saw why the security was lax though—there were all these weird hidden puddle-like traps that sent me from where I was to a different part of the area whenever I set them off! At least they stayed visible after I set them off though… I had to make jumps from one place to another by going through the traps again and again and again until I figured out how to advance.

I then kept going in and soon came to an area up ahead and I saw what looked like… a glass case suspended up high in the distance! I made my way up to it (through more traps, of course) and when I closed in on it, I saw what it was… my avatar, the one that had been stolen so long ago, was inside that glass case! I was shocked, but at the same time, this didn't feel right… security had been (relatively) lax up until this point and now here was something I wanted, right in front of me… I decided to turn around and look behind me and at that moment I saw K sneaking up!

"Hmm-hmm… I didn't think you'd look behind you in time. You are a smart one… Keisuke Amasawa." K said. "So YOU'RE the thieving bastard who stole my account…" I said angrily. "Heh-heh… a simple deduction, but a correct one nonetheless." K said back. "Well why don't you tell me this: if you're the lowlife who stole it… why? We never even knew each other." I asked. "Why? It's simple… I hate you! I wanted you to squirm." K said. "You hate me? When did that start? We didn't even know each other for a long time." I asked.

"Hmm?" K said before he paused and went on: "Ahahaha! Well truth be told, I was only trying to provoke you when I said that. But once again, you didn't take the bait I set out… you have impressed me again. Hatred may not have been the reason I stole your account, but… I still hate you. That much wasn't a lie. When you fought me in Shibuya in order to stop me from attacking any more people… that was lame." He then paused before he went on: "After all, the worlds of ordinary society and hackers can be—and are—separate worlds. Hackers like us belong in EDEN and they can have Earth. But they try to persecute and attack us, no matter where we are! I don't take to being prey well, and neither should you! But you still defend them anyway!" He then shook his head and walked up really close to me, invading my personal space as he said: "That makes you one of them: a xenophobic engine of hate who should die!"

I finally felt the anger welling up in me as I said: "You…!" and I punched K in the face as hard as I could and he recoiled, but the force of the punch actually dislodged the mask he was wearing… it fell to the floor and when I saw his face, I backed away… "No… no way…" I said. His face… it was Yu's face behind that mask! Yu then said: "Keisuke… help…" "Yu?! What is going ON?!" I asked.

But then I thought I heard flames… my head immediately turned to the sound and I saw the mask had caught fire! It continued to burn until a smoky explosion occurred and a Digimon popped out of it! It looked humanoid and walked on two legs. It wore a black and gold vest with magenta sleeves that were extremely long, almost as long as it was tall! Five silver claws were coming out of the ends, too. Its midriff was also visible under the vest, although its skin was an ugly, bluish-gray color, like a zombie. It had a green sash around its waist and red pants with black circular markings on the sides like the mask's and had cloth boots. It had a silver colored, steel u-shaped jaw that was very large and purple pointed eyes with black slits for pupils. It had spiky blond hair and looked 6'2 tall.

"Huh?! A Digimon?! Where did you come from?" I asked. Yu then fell to his knees as he said: "He… he was sealed inside it…" the Digimon then said: "That's correct! I merely helped make his dreams of being a hacker who could command respect come true! You could call me a helper of sorts." "What the hell are you talking about?! You made him into a hate-filled hacker… and you would call yourself a 'helper'?!" I asked. "Hmm…?" The Digimon said before he paused and said: "Ahahaha! Well isn't this interesting! He stole your account and caused you all that distress… and you still side with him?" I'm only doing what I can until I understand more!" I said. "Ahahahaha! How funny! You won't accept the ugly truth because you don't want to believe it! Well come on! I'll subject you to a tormenting like you've never known!" The Digimon said.

He then ran at me and (since I didn't have time to check my phone) I hastily called out Slayerdramon, Plesiomon and BlackWarGreymon. I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it and it said: "Matadormon scan data: 10%". It also said Matadormon was a virus type. I should have called out more vaccines… Matadormon then said: "Vampiric cajolery!" and then made red wisps spin around my Digimon… after that, they looked flustered and nervous… a sign they had been afflicted with the panic status condition… Slayerdramon then swung his sword at BlackWarGreymon, while BlackWarGreymon swung his arm at Plesiomon and Plesiomon swung his flipper at Slayerdramon! "Ugh…" I said as Matadormon laughed madly and then I saw some waves appear around him… my Digimon then all attacked each other again before Matadormon said: "Earth-shattering stomp!" and he leapt at Slayerdramon and stomped on him a few times before he sprang off and ran back.

My Digimon then attacked each other for a little while (while Matadormon continued to attack them unopposed) until they finally snapped out of it. I then said: "Slayerdramon, teach that coward who's boss! Divine dragon slash! BlackWarGreymon, join in with black tornado! Plesiomon, use hydro water 3!" and Slayerdramon said: "Divine dragon slash!" and leapt at Matadormon before he spun downward and finally slammed his sword on him! "Dyah!" Matadormon yelled. BlackWarGreymon then said: "Black tornado!" and started spinning like a drill before he crashed into Matadormon and then flew back. Plesiomon then said: "Hydro water 3!" and splashed Matadormon with a forceful stream of water. Matadormon then got up and said: "Vampiric cajolery!" and afflicted them all with panic. Not again…

They all then attacked each other again and Matadormon said: "Hell crusher 3!" and made purplish-pink wisps spin around all of my Digimon and hurt them! They then attacked each other again and Matadormon made the waves appear around him again. They attacked each other on the next turn too and Matadormon then said: "Hell crusher 3!" and attacked them with it… and they all were down after he finished!

I called them all back and Matadormon laughed and said: "Why what's the matter, Keisuke? Where did all of that power that everyone talks about go?" and then he laughed madly. I wasn't paying too much attention to what he was saying though… the secret to his power was making all three Digimon panic and weaken their defenses… it looked like he was boosting too whenever he used those waves. Which meant…

I then called in Kuzuhamon, Angewomon and Ouryumon. Matadormon then laughed and said: "More Digimon, huh? Well sure! We can do this as many times as you want! Vampiric cajolery!" and then the wisps spun around my Digimon, but this time my Digimon looked completely calm. It looked like Kuzuhamon's support skill was working…

Matadormon then looked shocked and said: "Wait… WHAT? How did you…?!" and then I said: "Heh-heh-heh… while you're stuck scratching your head over why that didn't work, I'll wipe that smirk right off your ugly face! Kuzuhamon, use status barrier on yourself! Angewomon, nail him with a celestial arrow! Ouryumon, use attack charge on yourself!" Kuzuhamon then said: "Status barrier!" and cast a spell on herself that stopped enemies from inflicting status conditions or lowering her attributes. Angewomon then said: "Celestial arrow!" and conjured a white bow on her right arm's glove and shot a shining arrow of light from it at Matadormon! "Uwah!" he said as he fell over. He got up and then Ouryumon said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks.

Matadormon then leapt into the air and said: "Earth-shattering stomp!" and as soon as I could tell he was intending to come down on Kuzuhamon, I said: "Kuzuhamon, get ready to block!" and she assumed a defensive position before he stomped on her and ran back, but she didn't have much trouble recovering from it. Matadormon also looked a little revitalized after he attacked, although not by much. "Angewomon, use aura! Ouryumon, use Eiseiryuoujin!" I said. Angewomon then said: "Aura!" and healed herself, Kuzuhamon and Ouryumon. "Argh! She heals too?!" Matadormon said. "What's wrong, Matadormon? Do you not like it when you can't cheat?" I asked. Ouryumon then flew over and said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and slashed at Matadormon with his cutlasses. "Uwah!" Matadormon said. He just barely managed to get up and then said: "Earth-shattering stomp!" and leapt at Kuzuhamon again before I said: "Block it out, Kuzuhamon!" and she did so before he attacked. I then said: "Finish him off, Ouryumon! Eiseiryuoujin!" and Ouryumon said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and slashed at Matadormon again before he fell on his back and couldn't move.

"Dyaaah! So strong…" Matadormon said. Kuzuhamon, Angewomon and Ouryumon all then celebrated before Ouryumon said: "Well… what should we do with him?" "W-wait! Please, spare me! I can see I went too far! I won't do anything like that ever again!" Matadormon said. My Digimon all then looked at me and Angewomon said: "Keisuke?" I then brought up a screen of data as I began typing on it and I said to Matadormon: "There is no salvation for you… you've given up so much of your soul and decency, that there is no point in letting you go… but don't worry, I'll still give you a second chance."

"What…? What do you mean?" Matadormon asked. I didn't answer him and then pressed a key and he said: "Gak!" before I made his body disappear and turned him into a digiegg! All three of my Digimon looked shocked before Angewomon said: "You… you figured out a way to turn him into a digiegg, Keisuke?" "It was a hunch… I'm glad to see it worked. Now he may become a more decent Digimon in his next life when he hatches." I said back. "But—to a Digimon—that level of power is a little scary." Kuzuhamon said. She then turned to me and said: "I know we can trust you with it Keisuke, but it almost feels like we've gotten a glimpse of your dark side…"

I then saw Yu stand up and he said: "You… you really did it… you slew that demon…" he then walked up to me and said: "Keisuke, thank you… now I'm finally free. Could I shake your hand? As an act of thanks?" "…Before you do anything, you've got some explaining to do! Did you really take my account?!" I asked. Yu then shook his head and said: "No… Matadormon was lying… let me explain. First, about your account: I didn't steal it… when you told me it had been stolen—and I saw how distressed you were—I did some research to find it… I had to dig really deep, but in the end, I found who stole it—Akira Hosaka. So I found him as fast as I could and… I bought it back from him."

"Hang on. If what you say is true, you should be able to bring that avatar up there down here to show me." I said. "Of course. Here…" Yu replied. He then used his phone for a minute and the glass case opened and the avatar floated down, right before me! Yu then said: "You should take it, Keisuke… it is yours after all." I then smiled widely and said: "YES!" before I saved it to my phone to replace the temporary one I was using now at a later time. I was happy, but also mystified—it looked like Yu's story had to be true and I wasn't sure how that could be… finally, I said: "I can't believe it… how much did you have to pay for it?" "10,000 yen." Yu answered. "10,000 yen?! Where did you get that kind of money?!" I asked.

Yu then sighed and said: "Do you remember the student lottery?" "Well sure. It was for the top five students at our high school. The winner was supposed to receive—" I began before I paused and said: "10,000 yen… and you won it…" Yu then nodded. "You spent that money on my account? I remember when you won it, you came to me completely ecstatic, saying how it would help you get into a university like you always wanted…" I said. "Yeah." Yu said back. "Why did you do it?" I asked. Yu then frowned and said: "Come on, Keisuke! I couldn't just sit around and watch a good friend suffer like that!" and then he suddenly looked down as he said: "Even now… it's okay. I know I won't get to go to a university… but the chance to be a true friend was enough." "Yu…" I said.

And then he went on: "And now second, about Matadormon; I meant to give you back your account right away. One time I went to Kowloon looking for you, but… I stumbled across that mask instead… it made me feel inspired when I saw it and… I put it on. When I did that, I gained an astronomical boost to my intelligence and hacking abilities, but… it came at a horrible price. From that moment on, I was possessed by Matadormon. He could even control me when I wasn't wearing it… but now that you've wiped him out, I'm free again. For that, you have my sincere thanks." "Thanks Yu, but… you really helped me too. I guess we saved each other." I said. We then laughed.

Yu then went on: "Even with Matadormon's abuse, this has been fun though. I always wanted to be more involved with you as a hacker, even from the very beginning, but getting the chance to help you during that one time where you needed to get that officer's account data was really fun. Truth be told, I'd like to be a part of Hudie too, but because Matadormon was possessing me when I was involved, I missed my chance and it's too late now…" "I don't agree." I said back. Yu then said: "Huh?" "You may not know it Yu, but Hudie is a small team with a small staff. Truth be told, we only have five hackers on staff—and now one has EDEN Syndrome and another is injured and unable to help. We're having trouble getting enough done with only three hackers. Between that and the fact that you have helped us before, this may be the perfect time for you to get your foot in the door." I said back. Yu then smiled and said: "That's fantastic! Well if there's any way, then I'd love to give it a try!" "Sure. Hold on one moment." I said.

I then called Erika and she answered and said: "Hello?" "Hi Erika, it's Keisuke." I said back. "Ah, Keisuke. Did you find Arcadiamon?" Erika asked. "No, but I do have some consolation: I have someone who wants to join Hudie." I said back. There was a pause before Erika said: "…That's great! Who?" "Do you remember Yu?" I asked back. "That guy who helped us when we were trying to get Makiko's account info, right? I remember him. He wants to join up?" Erika asked. "Yes. Do you have a good time when we could talk to him?" I asked. "Unfortunately, I'm a bit too busy for the rest of the day… can he come to the hospital tomorrow at 11:00 A.M.?" Erika asked. "I'll ask him. I'll text you when I know." I said. "Okay. Bye then." Erika said. "Sure thing. Thanks." I said.

We then hung up and I turned to Yu and said: "Erika can't meet for the rest of the day… can you meet us at Central Hospital tomorrow at 11 A.M.?" "You bet!" Yu said. I smiled and said: "Great. Then I'll see you there! I'll be waiting in the lobby to take you to the right room." "Sure. See you then!" Yu said. He then logged out and I texted Erika, letting her know the meeting was on. I then trained my Digimon for the rest of the day.

The next day, I researched Arcadiamon in the hospital until 10:30 A.M., when I went down to the lobby and waited for Yu… only to find he was already there! I grinned and approached him as I said: "Welcome, Yu. You're as punctual as ever, I see." "Of course! I don't want to squander this opportunity!" Yu said. I smiled and said: "I'm glad you're still excited. Okay, let me text Erika to let her know you're here." I then texted Erika to let her know Yu had arrived and she said he could come up now. I then texted her back saying I'd bring him and I said to Yu: "Erika can meet you early, so let's get going—there's no time like the present." "Works for me! Let's do it!" Yu said back.

I then took him up the elevator to the 12th floor and I went to Erika's room and knocked on the door. "Is that you, Keisuke?" Erika asked. "Yes it is." I said back. "Then come in." Erika said. I then opened it and entered before Yu followed and as soon as Erika saw him, she said: "It looks like you're back, Yu…" and then Yu said: "Long time no see, Erika! It's good to be back!" Erika then nodded before she went on: "Go ahead and have a seat on one of the stools here—Keisuke and I are going to be interviewing you to make our decision." "Alright then…" Yu said as he got seated on one (and I sat on one next to Erika).

Erika and I then started interviewing Yu, asking about his experience hacking, about kinds of moments that would help us decide if he had other skills that we were looking for and even his weaknesses… when we were done, Erika and I shook Yu's hand and I said: "Alright, go on ahead and go down the hall, Yu—I'll come back and let you know what we decide." "Alright. See you soon!" Yu said.

He then left the room and Erika and I waited for a bit before I turned to her and said: "So what did you think?" "He's definitely a mixed bag… on one hand, he doesn't have very much experience and he's a true greenhorn when it comes to hacking with Digimon. But on the other hand, his researching abilities already rival those of Chitose's and we know he's very loyal, brave and worthy of our trust. Based on what he said, it's also clear that he's a quick thinker and a fast learner." Erika said.

And then she went on: "That's why I think we should hire him. Even you weren't that experienced at hacking with Digimon when we first hired you, but now look at you—you're one of our best regulars. I think Yu will turn out the same way, as long as we give him some additional supervision at first." "I agree! I'll give him the good news then!" I said. I then stood up to go, but then Erika said: "And Keisuke?" I then turned around and said: "Yes?" She then smiled before she said: "Thank you for bringing someone new into Hudie. After all that's happened, a moment like this where we can prove Hudie is still growing is enough to brighten my day." I smiled and said: "My pleasure. Alright, I'm off to tell the newbie!" Erika nodded and I left. I then went around the hall and saw Yu looking a little nervous further away before I said: "Yu!" and he turned around and said: "Oh Keisuke! So… what'd you decide?"

"Erika and I both approved of you joining, so you've been hired—you're one of us now! Welcome to Hudie!" I said. Yu's face then lit up and he said: "YES!" and ended up drawing the attention of everyone nearby. One of the nurses even said: "Young man, please keep your voice down!" Yu then turned to her and looked self-conscious as he said: "Er… sorry." I then smiled and said: "Anyway, let's go. It's time to teach you what we do here and how to do it… I'll be your mentor for the training." Yu smiled and nodded as I took him back to teach him about the BBS to start.


	47. Simon: A night out with Nokia

Simon Chapter 24—A night out with Nokia… and the Digimon—

The next day, I decided to check if we had any cases… and I saw they had piled up! I spent the entire day working on them. The day after that, I went back to Kyoko's office to check again, but just when I arrived at Broadway, my phone rang! I checked it and saw it was Nokia calling. I then picked it up and said: "Hello?" I then heard Nokia say: "Hi Simon. It's Nokia calling. How are you doing today?" "…Well enough, I guess." I said back. "Ah… just like before, I see…" Nokia said. "Hm?" I asked. "Well never mind that. I was calling because I wanted to talk to you. Can you come to Shinjuku?" Nokia asked. "Okay sure. I'll head there now." I said.

Nokia and I then said goodbye and hung up. I wasn't sure what this was about, but I thought it must be important, so I headed there immediately. When I arrived, I looked around for Nokia. I was about to call her to let her know I had arrived, when I heard a: "Ah! Simon!" and I turned to see her waving at me from a bench. I then approached her and said: "Hi Nokia." "Well go on and have a seat, Simon! Don't be a stranger." Nokia said. I smiled as I sat down next to her and I said: "So what's going on?"

Nokia then looked a little more downcast as she said: "To be honest… I've been worried about you. You've sounded so upset ever since I talked to you a few days ago and you haven't been attending any of our events at the Heroes' Network…" I then leaned back and said: "Yeah… well, the times have been tough—" and Nokia said: "Simon…" and I looked at her as she went on: "Please tell me if there's anything I can do. I want to help."

When I heard this, I suddenly smiled. It felt good to know Nokia genuinely cared like she did… that alone made me feel better. I then said: "Thanks, Nokia. That's really nice of you…" I then went on: "Well, maybe going back to the Heroes' Network would make me feel better, like you're suggesting… I'll ask Kyoko for some time off and see if I can meet you there." "Yeah! I'll bet everyone at the Heroes' Network would be happy to see you too!" Nokia said. Then we laughed together before I said: "Alright. I'll let you know what happens. And Nokia?" "Yes?" She asked. "Thank you for caring. You're a real friend." I said. "Well sure! That's what I'm here for." Nokia said. We then smiled before we said goodbye and left.

I then returned to Nakano and went to Kyoko's office. When I arrived, she looked up and said: "Good morning, Simon." "Good morning, Kyoko. How are you?" I asked. "I'm doing as well as I can, considering the times." She said back. We then laughed before she said: "What about you, Simon?" "…Better, actually." I said back and Kyoko said: "Good. I'm glad you're feeling better after all that time." I then nodded and said: "Even so, could I ask about something, Kyoko?" "Sure. What is it?" She asked back.

"I was hoping I could take the day off to recuperate a bit more. Is that alright with you?" I asked. Kyoko seemed to be hesitating before she said: "Alright. Everyone needs a break now and again, and you've been working so hard ever since I hired you. I'd say you deserve one." I smiled and said: "Thank you, Kyoko. I'll be back and ready to roll tomorrow!" "Good. Then enjoy your day off, Simon." Kyoko said.

I then left Nakano and called Nokia. I heard her say: "Hello?" and I said: "Hi again, Nokia. I got the day off, so I'll be coming to the Heroes' Network soon." "Alright! I'll see you there, then!" Nokia said. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to stopping by. See you there!" I said. We then said goodbye and hung up. I then spent some time with Nokia and the others there. Nokia was right—it did revitalize me to spend some time with everyone. We continued for a while until the evening came and then we all went our separate ways.

As I left, I was happy about how that went, but I was also really touched by how Nokia had reached out to me and I wanted to do something to thank her, especially before I left Japan, which was going to be in about two weeks now… thinking about that, now I really wanted to give Nokia a memento of our friendship. I thought it through and decided I wanted to give Nokia something she could physically hold and look at as a reminder of our friendship and decided a locket pendant with a photo inside would be best—and I knew exactly which one I wanted to use: the photo I had taken of us when we founded the Heroes' Network. I had one made up for her and worked on cases for the next couple of days until it was ready. Once it was, I picked it up and saw it—it looked really nice! I bought a small box to hold it in too. Now all I'd have to do was think about how I'd give it to her…

The next day, I went to Kyoko's office and she looked up as I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Do we have any new cases?" "Yes, one did come in today, actually. Nokia was the client, but rather than arranging a meeting here, she wanted you to meet her in Broadway instead. She also left a message for me to relay to you, which was this: 'Bring one Digimon with you to the meeting! Make sure it's a Digimon that people won't be afraid of!'. I'm not sure why she requested that, but I guess you'll see in time." Kyoko said. "Hmm… that does sound unusual… but it's no problem. I'll be off to meet with her then!" I said. "Very good. See you later then, Simon!" Kyoko said.

I nodded and then decided to go to the fourth floor to choose my Digimon first… I then logged into the Digilab and greeted Mirei before I stopped to think about it… it seemed like Daisy and Sabrina were the best two, but I'd have to bring only one… I finally decided to bring Daisy. I then dropped everyone else off at the farm island and decided to go in and explain it to them so they wouldn't be confused…

I then entered it and when everyone saw me, Eustace said: "Hey Simon, what's going on? What are we all doing here?" and then Elena said: "Yeah, normally you take us with you… is something wrong?" "I've got to wonder too… if you go out with only one Digimon, we'll be worrying about you and whether or not you're safe…" Zephyr said. I then smiled and said: "Thanks for caring, guys. The reason I'm only taking one Digimon is because I took a case from Nokia and she asked me to bring only one Digimon with me this time." Daisy then smiled and said: "And that Digimon is me? Thank you, Simon! I won't let you down!"

I smiled and then Sabrina said: "…Are you sure that's a wise idea? I know Nokia's your friend, but this is a really dangerous time to go out with one Digimon, Simon." "It'll be okay! Nokia and Omnimon are strong and I'm sure she has her reasons." I said. "Hmm… alright. Just come back safe, Simon!" Scott said. "Of course! See you soon!" I said. I then left the farm island and then the Digilab before I looked around Broadway for Nokia. Finally, I found her on the first floor! I then approached her and said: "Hey, Nokia!" Nokia then turned to me and said: "Oh! Simon!"

We then approached each other and I said: "I saw your case at the office. What's this all about?" "Oh, so you have seen it! That's great, it'll save me a step then. Well I was talking to Omnimon recently and he said he wanted to understand human customs better. I told him about some of the things humans do and he said he wanted to try eating at a restaurant, so I was hoping you'd come along and join in the fun!" Nokia said. I smiled and said: "You didn't have to file a case to do that, Nokia… but I appreciate it all the same. I think this'll be fun!" "I do too! So let's get out there and get started! There are a lot of good places to eat in Shinjuku! Let's go there!" Nokia said. "Great! Let's go!" I said.

We then left Broadway and when we were out in the streets, Nokia called out… Agumon and Gabumon?! "Wha…?! What happened to Omnimon?" I asked. Agumon and Gabumon then turned around and Gabumon said: "Oh hey, Simon!" and Agumon said: "It's good to see you again!" I then turned to Nokia and said: "You de-digivolved them?" "Only temporarily; I thought Omnimon would scare the customers at a restaurant. Besides, Omnimon was so tall, he couldn't get through a door to get into a restaurant anyway." Nokia said. We all then laughed together and then Nokia said: "Speaking of which, who did you bring, Simon?" "Ah yes. Let me show you…" I said as I called Daisy out. Nokia then grinned and said: "So you brought your Rosemon! Good thinking—she'll be perfect for going to a restaurant! Now let's go!" "A restaurant? We're going to be eating out?" Daisy asked. "That's right! Now let's get moving!" I said. We all then proceeded to Shinjuku.

When we arrived in its streets, Agumon said: "Alright! I can't wait to see what kind of place we go to first!" and Gabumon said: "I'm so hungry! I can't wait!" Nokia then chuckled and I said: "So where are we headed?" "Well let's see… there's a family food restaurant located downtown. It's tasty, convenient and best of all, it's cheap! Let's go there!" Nokia said. I laughed and said: "Alright then. Lead the way, Nokia!" She then took us to a small restaurant further in and when we had arrived, Nokia said: "Well, we're here!" "Alright! Let's get going!" Agumon said. He and Gabumon then went up with Nokia and I started to follow before I noticed Daisy wasn't with us…

I turned around and saw her looking nervous. "Daisy? What is it?" I asked. "…I'm not sure I should be going in there. After all, I'm a high level Digimon… what if I scare the customers?" Daisy asked. "Nobody's going to be afraid of a Digimon as beautiful as you, Daisy." I replied. Daisy then smiled widely and came in with us.

When we arrived, we were seated and started looking the menus over. I heard Agumon say: "Wow! There are so many choices! What would you recommend, Nokia?" "Hmm… well, there's hamburgers! They're meat like you eat put in between two hamburger buns—which are bread—and they have vegetables and cheese in them too! They're tasty and cheap, so they'd be a good choice!" Nokia said. "Oh really? That sounds neat." Agumon asked, but then Gabumon said: "Hmm… what's steak?" Nokia then looked panicked as she said: "Whoa! Well, th-that's… that's upscale food. It's a cooked meat that is really delicious, but it's also really expensive…" and Gabumon said: "Okay, I'll have that!" "Yeah, me too!" Agumon said. "Whoa…! How am I supposed to…?" Nokia began and I chuckled as I turned to Daisy as I said: "What do you want, Daisy?"

"…It's hard to decide. I didn't think there were going to be so many choices. What would you suggest, Simon?" she asked. "At a restaurant like this, I'd recommend a chicken sandwich with fries." I said back. "Chicken sandwich? Fries?" Daisy said back. "A chicken sandwich is similar to what Nokia was outlining as a hamburger—it's chicken meat that is put in between two slices of bread with vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and red onion. Fries are fried potatoes cut into thin strips. It's simple, but really delicious." I said back.

"Hmm… you do make a good case… okay, I'll try it!" Daisy said. Our waiter then came to take our orders before we gave them. We then enjoyed talking to each other until our food came and we enjoyed it (Daisy seemed to really like hers). We then paid our bill and tipped the waiter before we left.

When we were back in the streets of Shinjuku, Nokia said: "Well there you go! That was one nice meal!" and then she turned to Agumon and Gabumon and said: "How did you like it, guys?" "It was great! That steak was so delicious!" Agumon said. "Yeah! I could get used to eating human food!" Gabumon said. "That's good to hear. Hearing you both so excited makes it worth spending all that yen…" Nokia said.

I chuckled before I turned to Daisy and said: "What did you think, Daisy?" "It was fantastic! I never knew humans were such ingenious cooks!" Daisy said. I smiled and said: "I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Some people would regard family food as simple, but you seemed to really like it." "Of course! Maybe it's because you eat that way so often, but to a Digimon, that seems brilliant! After all, we normally think to eat potatoes raw. It would never occur to us to submerge them in oil and fry them into something so delicious! And it's the same kind of thing with meat, too—we normally eat it by itself, but the addition of bread and vegetables into a single food changes the flavor and makes it so good!" Daisy said.

I then smiled and said: "Well, it looks like there's a lot more about it that you appreciate than just the taste! I'm glad I brought you along." Daisy smiled back and then Gabumon asked: "So where next, Nokia?" Nokia then looked shocked and said: "Whoa! You… you're not full?!" "Of course not! We're just getting started!" Agumon said. "Ugh… well, I guess I could afford a trip to another restaurant…" Nokia said before she turned to me and said: "Where do you think we should go, Simon?" "Well, we just went to a restaurant that specializes in family food, which is often thought of as Western cuisine… why don't we go to a restaurant that specializes in Eastern cuisine, like a Teriyaki restaurant?" I asked. Nokia grinned and said: "Ooh! I like your thinking! There's a good one nearby too! Let's go!"

And then we headed off. When we arrived, we were seated. Nokia helped Agumon and Gabumon choose this time while I turned to Daisy and said: "How are you holding up? Do you need help deciding?" Daisy nodded and said: "You humans sure like having long menus…" and then we laughed together before she went on: "What would you suggest I have?" "In a restaurant like this, there are usually lots of rice dishes, which is fine, because rice is really good. More so, you'll want to choose the kind of meat you mix with your vegetables carefully. We already know you like chicken, so are you looking to order another dish with chicken, Daisy?" I asked. "Yeah. I think that'd be a safe bet." Daisy said. "Alright then. Some good vegetables that would go with it would include things like carrots and peppers…" I said. Daisy nodded and said: "Thanks. Okay, I think I can take it from here."

And then we went back to looking at our menus. When the waiter arrived, we were all ready to order and we placed our orders before the waiter left and we got to talk to each other again before our food came and we enjoyed getting to eat it. After we finished, we paid our bill and tipped the waiter before we left.

When we were back in the streets again, Agumon and Gabumon stretched out and Agumon said: "Mmm! There's so much tasty food around!" and then Gabumon said: "Yeah! This is great!" Nokia and I then chuckled and Nokia said: "So now that we've been to two restaurants, which did you guys like better?" "I liked the family food restaurant better! The steak was so yummy!" Gabumon said. "Yeah! Me too!" Agumon said. I then turned to Daisy and said: "What about you, Daisy?" "It's really hard to say… I enjoyed them both so much and I'm just getting started eating human food… but if I have to, I'd say I liked the Teriyaki restaurant more. The food had more vibrant flavor and the sauce really made it delicious!" Daisy said.

"Well it looks like both restaurants satisfied our Digimon. That's pretty neat!" Nokia said. "I agree. It looks like everyone has different tastes." I said. Nokia then turned to Agumon and Gabumon and said: "So are you guys full now?" "Uh-uh. I still could use a little more…" Agumon said. "Yeah. I feel like one more restaurant…" Gabumon said before Nokia looked shocked and said: "Wha—?! You're really not full?!" "Not yet. Could we go to one more place, Nokia?" Agumon asked. "No! If I spend any more, I won't be able to pay Simon for the case!" Nokia said. "Oh…" Gabumon said as he and Agumon looked down.

I then chuckled and said: "I thought this might end up happening… let's go then. This last one is on me." Nokia then whirled in my direction (and Agumon and Gabumon looked up) as she said: "HUH? Simon, are you sure?" "Of course. Think of it as my chance to pay you back for being such a good friend." I said. "Well… with hungry Digimon and a nearly-empty wallet, it's hard to argue with you right now…" Nokia said. She then went on: "Thank you. I'm so sorry it came to this…" and then she turned to Agumon and Gabumon and said: "You both thank him too!" "Thanks Simon! I'm glad we'll all get the chance to eat together some more." Agumon said. "Yeah! We really appreciate you helping us feel like we've had enough to eat!" Gabumon said.

Nokia then said: "Well since you're paying, I guess it's only right that you choose the restaurant… where to?" "Let's go to an ice cream parlor. Then we could have some dessert, which would be a nice way to top off our meals, wouldn't you say?" I asked. Nokia then smiled and said: "Good idea! I'll bet Agumon and Gabumon will love that!" "What's dessert?" Gabumon asked. "It's a course served at the end of a meal. It's usually sweet and really, really tasty." I said. "Sounds good to me! Let's go try it!" Agumon said.

We then went to one nearby and when we arrived, Agumon, Gabumon and Daisy looked very interested. I then turned to Nokia and asked: "What are you getting?" "I think I'll have an ice cream cone… any more than that and I'll burst…" Nokia said. I then laughed as I turned to Daisy and said: "Do you need any help choosing this time, Daisy?" "No, I think I've got it this time!" Daisy said. I smiled and said: "Alright then. I'm excited to see what you'll get!" I then heard Gabumon say: "What's fudge?" "It's a chocolate sauce. It's a really tasty sauce that's served on ice cream." I said. Agumon then asked: "So what's a banana split?" "It's three scoops of ice cream served with bananas on the sides and whipped cream. It usually comes with a cherry on top." Nokia said.

We soon bought our desserts and went to a table to eat them—Nokia got her ice cream cone, Agumon had a banana split, Gabumon got a hot fudge sundae and Daisy and I each actually got the same thing, which was a brownie sundae! We all really enjoyed our desserts and when we were done eating, Nokia turned to me and said: "That was great. Thank you so much, Simon—you really saved me there!" I smiled and said: "It was my pleasure." "Well since we're done, I guess we'd best be going—" Nokia said and then I said: "Not so fast! There was more to this than just the desserts."

Nokia then turned to me and looked confused as she said: "Eh…?" "You didn't think I was just going to repay you for being such a good friend with only a dessert, did you?" I asked. "What are you talking about…?" Nokia asked. I then took out the box and said: "I got this for you to thank you for being such a good friend. Here!" Nokia then looked a little skeptical and said: "Um… what's in it?" "Why don't you open it up and check it out?" I asked. Nokia paused for a moment before she took it and popped it open… and then she saw the locket pendant.

Nokia then held it up and said: "A locket pendant?" "Yup! It even has a photo in it too! Take a look!" I said. She then opened it and her face lit up when she saw the photo and said: "Aww… this is that photo of us you took to commemorate our founding of the Heroes' Network!" I smiled and said: "Yup! The very same!"

Nokia then turned to me and said: "Thank you Simon. That was so sweet of you… how did you get the idea to do this?" "I wanted to give you something that you could hold in your hand and look at any time you wanted a reminder of our friendship and the time we spent while I was here and I thought this would be the best way to do it. It's my way of saying thanks before I leave Japan." I said. Nokia then smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon." And she reached over and hugged me! I hugged her back and then we let go before she put it around her neck and said: "So how does it look?" "Great! Just like I knew it would!" I said. Nokia smiled and said: "Thanks. I'm glad to hear it." And soon we left.

When we were back out in Shinjuku, Nokia stretched out and said: "Man, I'm stuffed!" and then she turned to Agumon and Gabumon and said: "Agumon, Gabumon, are you full yet? Because I don't think I can eat another bite…" "Yup! I feel the same and every last stop was full of delicious food! It was great!" Agumon said. "I agree; I'm completely full now and I enjoyed every step of the way." Gabumon said. Nokia breathed a sigh of relief before she said: "Good…" and then she went on: "So how did you two like eating desserts?" "They were great! I can see why you humans like them so much!" Agumon said. "Yeah! They were a perfect way to top off a meal… or two, I suppose!" Gabumon said.

I then turned to Daisy and asked: "How about you, Daisy? Did you enjoy it?" "I sure did! It was so delicious! I never thought that mixing so many sweet things would make an even better flavor than any of them had individually! Humans are geniuses when it comes to making delicious food! This is way better than any of the food we have in the farm island that's modeled after the food in the Digital World!" Daisy said. "It sounds like you really appreciated every aspect of fine dining. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, Daisy. But if I could ask a favor of you—" I began and then Daisy said: "I won't tell the others I got to eat human food. Don't worry."

I smiled and said: "Thank you, Daisy. You always get more dependable every day." She smiled back and then Nokia said: "Well now that we've accomplished what we came here to do, let's head back to Nakano—I've got to pay you your fee after all!" "Sure thing!" I said.

We then returned to Nakano and went to Kyoko's office. When we both arrived, I said: "Hi again, Kyoko." And Kyoko looked up before she said: "Ah, Simon. It looks like you're back…" and then she saw Nokia (and eyed her locket pendant I had given her) before she said: "And Nokia too, I see. Does that mean the case has been completed?" "Exactly right, Kyoko! I came here to pay Simon his fee for the case!" Nokia said. She then paid me and said: "Here—you've more than earned it." I smiled back and said: "Thanks." "Well now that I've paid up, I'd best be off! Bye, Kyoko! Bye, Simon!" Nokia said. And then she left…

Kyoko then turned to me and said: "That looks like it went well. What was the case, if you don't mind me asking?" "It was just a little dining tour." I said back. Kyoko then looked confused before she said: "And she felt like she had to post a case to get you to go along with that…? Hmm… I think I see…" "See? See what?" I asked. "Try and figure it out on your own, my dear Watson. It will be more satisfying if you do." Kyoko said. I was surprised by her response and she giggled before she said: "Anyway, we're out of cases, so now we'd best get back to our important business of dealing with Kentaurosmon."


	48. Simon: Royal Knight rodeo

Simon Chapter 25—Royal Knight rodeo—

I then grinned and said: "Ah, right you are! Even though it's only been about a week, it feels so long ago that we were focusing on the Royal Knights…" Kyoko then nodded and said: "Exactly." "I think you said Kentaurosmon is in EDEN, right, Kyoko?" I asked. "Your memory is as sharp as ever, I see! Yes, that's exactly right. Are you ready to go and confront him?" Kyoko asked. "Well I won't have any idea until I try, so I guess I'll give it a go." I said. Kyoko then grinned and said: "That's the spirit. Well you'd best be off then. Good luck, Simon!" "Thanks Kyoko." I said back.

I then left her office and decided to go to the Digilab to prepare, particularly as Daisy was still the only Digimon in my phone! I then went to the fourth floor and logged into the Digilab. When I arrived, I greeted Mirei and she said: "Oh, Simon! Can I borrow you for a minute?" "Absolutely. What is it?" I asked. "I had something I wanted to give to you… it's an update to increase the memory on your phone. I thought it would serve you well, given what you're undertaking." Mirei said.

"Awesome! Alright, let's do it!" I said. Mirei then E-mailed me the update and I opened the attachment to install it and then it worked out perfectly—the memory on my phone increased drastically! "Alright! Thank you, Mirei! That'll help a lot in the times ahead." I said. Mirei smiled and said: "I agree. With it, you should be able to fit all 11 of your Digimon into your phone, so you won't need to come back and keep swapping them in and out of farm islands anymore."

"Wow! Now _that's_ convenient! Now we'll be as ready as we can be!" I said. "Yes, that's very true… even so, I hope you'll come by and visit the Digilab every now and again." Mirei said. "Of course! I'll always need to heal my Digimon and it'll be nice to say hi to you too!" I said. Mirei grinned and said: "Sounds good. Alright, I'll leave the rest to you." And then I went back to the farm island to greet everyone before I picked them all up.

When I arrived, I went back to where they had been last time (with Daisy in tow) and found them all there. I then said: "Hey everyone!" and they turned to me and Eustace said: "Simon!" They all came running over and Arthur said: "I'm glad to see you made it back safe. Did you complete that mysterious case that Nokia gave you?" "Sure did! It went off without a hitch!" I said. And before they could ask any follow-up questions, I immediately said: "I also have some good news for you too: Mirei helped me install an update on my phone and now it's powerful enough to hold all of you at once! So no one will need to be left here in the farm island anymore!"

Everyone was really excited when they heard this and they all celebrated before Pepper said: "Alright! That'll make things a lot more exciting! So let's get going! Where are we headed as a team first?" I then smiled before I said: "Heh-heh! You don't have to tell me twice! We're going to EDEN to see if we can find Kentaurosmon." "Ah. So he'll be just like me, right? I guess that may complicate things…" Jason said. "Somehow I doubt that." I said back. "Why?" Jason asked. "Because if he fights us, we'll know whichever one isn't shooting at us is you." I said back. Everyone then laughed before I said: "So let's go! Come on!"

But then Daisy said: "Um… I actually think I need a little time to think first. I'll be off at the water's edge further in. Excuse me…" "Daisy?" I asked. She didn't answer and then went off. I looked at everyone before I said: "Wait here. I'll be back." And then I went in after her.

Soon I caught up with Daisy and saw her at the side of the beach, looking down into the water at her reflection… "DAISY? What's going on?" I asked. Daisy then looked up and said: "Oh, Simon…" "What's wrong? You seemed like you were doing so well in Shinjuku…" I asked. "Well… there's something that's been bothering me lately—" Daisy began and then I said: "Okay… what?" "…Well I consider myself to be a beautiful Digimon and I'm very happy about that, but I've heard this legend about Rosemon… they say some of them turn into Babamon, which are ugly Digimon…" Daisy began and then she shuddered before she went on: "I don't want to be ugly like Babamon! That's been worrying me lately, but I don't know what I can do to prevent it… the legends don't say anything about that…" and then she said: "I don't suppose you've heard anything about this, Simon?"

"…Not a word. That's why I would encourage you to not worry about it; it sounds like you just stumbled across some really bad rumor that someone started as a mean-spirited prank, Daisy." I said. Daisy sighed before she said: "I know what you're saying… if it's so unsubstantiated, it's not likely to be true…" and then she went on: "But I still can't help worrying about it…"

"…You really should though, Daisy. Especially if this is going to stop you from enjoying your beauty." I said. Daisy then looked up and said: "Huh?" "You've said you consider yourself to be beautiful and I do too… anyone who could see you would, really. You also said that it makes you happy to feel beautiful. That's why you shouldn't let this stupid, unsubstantiated rumor take that happiness away from you. You should enjoy being such a beauty, rather than having no joy to show for it." I said.

Daisy then smiled and said: "Simon…" and she said: "Thank you. You've helped me see this more clearly. You're right; I shouldn't let some stupid, unproven lore take away the happiness I get from being beautiful. I should be acting like my beauty is something that makes me happy, instead of being a source of anxiety. I know I can't prove if I will ever become a Babamon…" and then she went on: "But I'm going to have fun being beautiful! That's how it should be after all." I smiled and she said: "Thank you for teaching me that. You helped me understand what beauty meant to me more than I could."

And then Daisy said: "Oh!" and there was a flash of light! When I could see again, Daisy was still before me… but she looked a little different… She still looked like a human, and still had a flower growing out of her head and over her eyes, but now it was white… she wore black tights and black high heels, a white backless garment over her torso that had an arrow-like pattern under her chest that showed some of her midriff, long white gloves and black thorns wrapped around her arms that ended in thorny whips she was holding. She had a pink cape bound around her back with a pale pink ball-like charm pinned to her cape over her neck (and seven more were floating around her) and light brown hair that went a little beneath her waist and that was tied at waist level. She looked 5'7 tall.

Daisy then looked around and said: "Did it happen? Am I a Babamon…?" and then she said: "No… if I were a Babamon, I would be much shorter… I feel the same height…" and then I said: "I think you may have digivolved, Daisy…" "D-digivolved? Into what?" Daisy asked. She then walked over to the water again and looked down and when she did, she looked thrilled and said: "Oh my gosh…! This is my burst mode form! And Rosemon Burst Mode always stay beautiful!" She then went on: "So was that the secret to true beauty…? Just accepting myself?" "Well, that's an important skill in a lot of areas of life. It wouldn't surprise me." I said.

Daisy then walked up to me and smiled as she said: "Thank you, Simon. You've helped me so much! I'm glad I got to be your Digimon." And then she reached out to hug me, but those thorns…! I then backed up and said: "Whoa! Watch those thorns, Daisy!" "Oh, they won't hurt a friend, I can guarantee it." She said back. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Positive. Watch!" She said as she put her arms around me and I said: "Hey, hey, hey!" But I saw she was right… they didn't hurt at all. I then smiled and hugged her back before we let go and then I said: "Well let's head back now. We'll show your beautiful new look to the others!" "Yeah!" Daisy said.

We then headed back. When we arrived, I said: "Hey guys!" to my Digimon and then they all looked up and Scott said: "Simon! Good to see you—" and then he saw Daisy and said: "Wow! What happened to Daisy?" Daisy grinned as she said: "I digivolved to my burst mode form!" "Well that's good news! It'll help for the times ahead too." Gil said. I nodded and said: "Right! So let's get going! We'll have our first adventure all together starting right now!"

And everyone cheered as we left the farm island and I added them all to my phone. I then logged into EDEN and patrolled for signs of Kentaurosmon. Unfortunately, I couldn't find hide nor hair of him for a while… I guess it makes sense he'd be trying to keep a low profile… I kept going until I arrived at an area with lots of balconies all over. I looked around, though I saw something dart around in my peripheral vision and then I saw it: Kentaurosmon was here! He was floating around through the air! He then came down to my level and said: "Another human fool, hm? You were unlucky to run into me!" I kept my cool though as I said: "Kentaurosmon, I presume? I'm actually happy I found you." Kentaurosmon then said: "Heh-heh… you are correct. I didn't think you'd be so eager to see me, though. You are either conceited… or an outright fool. And either way, I admire your courage. Unfortunately for you, I go easy on no one, especially humans!" He then pointed his crossbow at me and said: "Bifrost!" and fired a bolt of energy! Luckily, I dodged the shot before it connected. I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it quickly. It said: "Kentaurosmon scan data: ERROR." But it did say he was a vaccine Digimon, so I called out Arthur, Sabrina and Daisy.

I then said: "Daisy, use mental charge field! Sabrina, use status barrier on yourself! Arthur, hit him with judgement of the blade!" and Daisy said: "Mental charge field!" and increased everyone on my side's damage output with magic attacks and their damage resistance against magic. Sabrina then said: "Status barrier!" and created a purple barrier in front of herself to protect her from bad statuses and having her attributes reduced. Arthur then said: "Judgement of the blade!" and flew at Kentaurosmon to slash at him… but then Kentaurosmon flew away! "Hey!" I said. Kentaurosmon then laughed before he said: "Odin's breath!" and blasted Arthur, Sabrina and Daisy with a gust of blue breath.

"Alright then… Daisy hit him with aguichant levres! Sabrina, use status barrier on Arthur! Arthur, use wolkenapalm 3!" I said and Daisy said: "Aguichant levres!" and blew a laser from her lips like a kiss at Kentaurosmon… but he simply flew off and evaded it! Sabrina then said: "Status barrier!" and cast the same spell on Arthur. Arthur then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused a fiery explosion to occur where Kentaurosmon was, so he couldn't avoid it. It didn't seem to do that much damage though… Kentaurosmon then said: "Odin's breath!" and exhaled a gust of breath at my Digimon again—and when it concluded, Daisy had fallen into a kneeling position and was sleeping! "Daisy?" I said before Kentaurosmon laughed again.

"Sabrina, use status barrier on Daisy! Arthur, use attack charge field!" I said. Sabrina then cast status barrier on Daisy before Arthur said: "Attack charge field!" and he boosted his, Sabrina's and Daisy's damage output with non-magic attacks. Kentaurosmon then said: "Shining laser 3!" and then the ground started to shine beneath my Digimon before he made pillars of light erupt from it, hurting all three of them!

"Sabrina, use holy light 3! Arthur, use wolkenapalm 3!" I said. Arthur then said: "Wolkenapalm 3!" and caused the fiery explosion to occur again before Sabrina followed up and said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Kentaurosmon was, so he couldn't avoid it either. Kentaurosmon then said: "Bifrost!" and shot Arthur with a bolt of energy from his crossbow.

I then had Sabrina and Arthur attack with the same attacks they used again before Kentaurosmon said: "Final heal!" and completely restored his health! "Ugh…" I said. Kentaurosmon then laughed madly and said: "Weakling! You're too slow to keep up with me before I can mend all your little, itty-bitty attacks! You'll never catch me! Hahahaha!" and he flew off…

As much as I hated admitting it, he had a point… I could tell that fighting him normally wasn't going to accomplish anything. The only way I could think of to win was to take him by surprise, but even if I did that, he would just run away… I was going to need help from an exceptionally mobile Digimon. Suddenly I had an idea… I decided to start planning my ambush by going to Kamishiro and asking what they knew about Kentaurosmon.

I then left EDEN, healed my Digimon and went to their corporate office in EDEN I had infiltrated before. I then walked in and saw a woman at a stand nearby and said: "Excuse me…" and then she said: "Yes? Do you have an appointment?" I wasn't sure how to respond, but luckily, she looked surprised and said: "Oh wait… are you Simon?" "Yes. How did you know that?" I asked. "Ms. Yuuko Kamishiro has told us about you. She said you've been doing so much to help people and Digimon, both in EDEN and on Earth." The woman replied. I smiled a little before she went on: "Well as long as you've helped us, I suppose I can be a bit more flexible. Did you need something?"

"Yes, actually. Do you know of the Digimon named Kentaurosmon?" I asked. "Oh yes! That awful creature has been attacking people in EDEN! We need him removed as soon as possible!" The woman said. "I have a plan for how to do that. But in order to carry it out, I need to know about Kentaurosmon's activity in EDEN. Could I ask for some information on him… where he goes, at what times he's at any given place, patterns on who he attacks and so on?" I asked. "If you'll get rid of Kentaurosmon, we'll be happy to help you. Wait for a moment please…" the woman said.

She then paged someone to come down and told me to wait by the elevator. I saw one up ahead and waited by it before it came down and a man come out before he said: "Are you Simon?" "Yes, that's right." I said back. The man then gave a sigh of relief before he said: "That's good to hear. I heard you wanted to help purge Kentaurosmon from EDEN?" "That's right. Please, help me by letting me see information related to Kentaurosmon's activity in EDEN." I said. "Certainly. Come with me and I'll show you what we have." The man said.

He then went into the elevator (and I followed) before he took me to an office and I studied some digital files about what they knew about Kentaurosmon, hoping to find something I could use… and found plenty! As it turned out, Kentaurosmon had the bad habit of visiting the same spots in EDEN at the same times every day! So as long as I could wait at the right spot at the right time, I could conduct my ambush!

"Aw, this is perfect!" I said. "Hmm?" the man said. "With the information you've given me, I can conduct an ambush on Kentaurosmon and drive him out!" I said. "That's fantastic! I'm glad I could help then." The man said. "Of course! You were great! Even so though, would you mind giving me a copy of some of this information? All I need is anything relating to where Kentaurosmon visits at what time of day." I said. "…Well… okay. That sounds reasonable. And if it'll spare us the headache of having Kentaurosmon ruin EDEN, that's something that's very much in our best interest. Just as long as you don't share it with anyone else." the man said. "I won't, don't worry. And I'll delete the files I have as soon as I'm done with them." I said back. "Alright then. Here…" the man said. He then copied the information I had asked for and sent it to me. I then smiled and said: "Thank you! With this, Kentaurosmon should be out of EDEN very soon." "I certainly hope so! Good luck!" The man said. I then left and logged out of EDEN.

Now all that was left was to decide what Digimon was mobile enough… come to think of it, Omnimon was one who could float or walk and he was strong and resilient… he'd be ideal. I then called Nokia and soon heard her say: "Hello?" "Hi Nokia. It's Simon." I said back. "Oh hi, Simon. What's up?" Nokia asked. "…Could I ask you for a favor? I'm trying to defeat a Royal Knight right now, but I'm not sure I can do it by myself." I said. "Wow, that sounds important! Okay then… what's the favor?" Nokia asked. "I want you and Omnimon to attack Kentaurosmon at a specific part of EDEN at a specific time and drive him into a spot where I'll be waiting to launch an ambush. When he arrives, we'll attack him from both sides and bring him down." I said. "Sounds good! Okay, let's do it! But where is this specific place? And what's the specific time?" Nokia asked.

"That depends on when you can do it. Luckily, there's a specific place and time for whenever you could, so it's just a matter of knowing when your schedule is open." I said. "Well Omnimon and I are kinda busy right now… can we come tomorrow at 2 P.M.?" Nokia asked. "That sounds great. In that case, meet me in the EDEN free area at that time." I said. "Okay! See you then!" Nokia said. "Alright. Thank you, Nokia." I said. We then said goodbye and hung up. I then spent the rest of the day training in Kowloon.

The next day, I continued to train in Kowloon until the appointed time. By about noon though, I had another idea… my Digimon had been training for a while… I wonder if Gil could finally digivolve? I then headed to the Digilab and greeted Mirei before I checked… and I saw that Gil could!

I then called everyone out and when they were all there, Gil said: "It looks like we're all here again… so could it be…? Am I ready to digivolve?" and I said: "Yup! Now you're finally ready to digivolve to the mega level, Gil!" He then grinned and said: "That's great! I'm so excited, I can't even tell you!" I smiled and then said: "Well come on up and we'll start your digivolution!"

Gil then did so and I digivolved him into a Darkdramon—he looked humanoid and had two legs, although he flew over the ground with four wings on his back. He looked almost entirely mechanical and had blue armor on his shoulders, chest, thighs, forearms, forehead and ankles, with a yellow stripe on his forearm and thigh armor and a magenta stripe on his shoulder and thigh armor. He had a black torso and a white jaw. He had white spikes on his knees and the backs of his feet. He had spiky red hair that went down to the bottom of his neck. He also had a clear visor that had horn-like objects on it and white wings with bluish-white flames coming out of them. He had a blue tail with a white underside and a rounded blade on the end. His left arm had huge armor on it that had a laser cannon coming out of it. He looked 8'4 tall.

When the process ended, I said: "And that's everyone! Congratulations, Gil!" Gil then smiled and said: "Yeah! I'm so happy to be fully digivolved, at last! And at least I got to be the finale in everyone's digivolution!" "Yup! Way to make us go out with a bang!" Jason said. We all then laughed and I said: "Well now that everyone's at full strength, that'll help us all today even more. So let's get out there and keep up our training!" and everyone cheered before we headed out.

I then continued training my Digimon until 2 P.M. was creeping up… when it was getting close to the appointed time, I left Kowloon, healed my Digimon and went to the EDEN free area. I then waited for Nokia and soon she and Omnimon came up to where we were. When she saw me, she said: "Hey Simon!" and I said: "Hi Nokia. Over here!" she then came up and I went on: "Thank you both for coming. We have some important business today—" and then Omnimon said: "So I heard. Nokia said you wanted my help in fighting Kentaurosmon, is that right?"

"Exactly right, Omnimon. Ultimately, I wanted you both to drive him into a specific part of this area so we can double team him and attack him from both sides." I said. "It sounds clever… but where am I going to be driving him to?" Omnimon asked. I then walked forward to the edge of the balcony (and Nokia and Omnimon followed) and I pointed and said: "See that tower in the distance over there?" "Uh yeah… barely." Nokia said. "Yes. It looks distant, but I can see it. So that's the spot?" Omnimon asked. "Yes. My Digimon and I will be waiting there to launch an ambush. Get Kentaurosmon over there, and we'll finish him off together. Can you handle that, Omnimon?" I asked. "Leave it to me!" Omnimon said. "Great. Thank you both. My team and I will rush over there and you both can wait here for him to arrive. From where we are now, Kentaurosmon will be due to arrive in 18 minutes, so keep your eyes open." I said. "Alright! Leave it to us!" Nokia said.

I then started to run all the way out to the tower. I had to really push myself, but I made it to the balcony from where we would be launching the ambush by the time Kentaurosmon was going to be encountering Nokia. I then called out my Digimon and they looked around before Pepper said: "Um…what are we doing out here?" and I whispered: "Shh! Keep your voice down!" before I went on: "We're going to be ambushing Kentaurosmon here. Nokia will be driving him up to us. When Kentaurosmon is in close range, I want you all to attack him with absolutely everything you've got. Then we can finish him off as a team! I'll be watching for him, so lay low and listen for my signal, okay?" "Alright then." Sabrina said. They all then got down and I did so too, keeping my eyes above the rail.

I then waited… it took some time, but soon I thought I saw… two distant figures further away… it looked like Omnimon was succeeding! I continued to wait and they kept getting closer and closer… eventually I could see Omnimon and Kentaurosmon in detail (Nokia was also visible on a railway above) and Omnimon had him pretty close to the balcony now! I then heard Kentaurosmon say: "Hmph! You're certainly as stubborn as ever, Omnimon! But you can't defeat me like that! Bifrost!" and he shot at Omnimon with an energy bolt from his crossbow. Omnimon took the hit and then said: "Transcendent sword!" and out of the head at the end of his arm that looked like a WarGreymon's, a giant sword emerged! Omnimon then swung it, creating a fiery shockwave that hit Kentaurosmon and started to knock him into the tower where we were!

When I saw he was about to hit the tower, I said: "NOWWW!" and everyone rose up and attacked Kentaurosmon at the same time! By the time Kentaurosmon could look over his shoulder, it was already too late—he took incredible damage! Omnimon then said: "Supreme cannon!" and out of the head at the end of his arm that looked like a MetalGarurumon's, a small cannon emerged and fired a cannonball at Kentaurosmon! Kentaurosmon then recoiled and fell to an area below!

"Good job everyone! Now let's go after him!" I said. My Digimon and I then scrambled down the tower to the area below where Kentaurosmon had landed. By the time we got out there, we also saw Omnimon flying down, with Nokia on one of his shoulders! When they landed, Nokia got off and I said: "Looks like you really got yourself in trouble this time!" Kentaurosmon then looked up and said: "Ngh…! You again!" He then went on: "To have outmatched my mobility… very well. Slay me and make it quick."

"Is that what you really want?" Nokia asked. "What is this…? I am the loser and now I must perish. Or would you show mercy and mock me?" Kentaurosmon asked. "You ignoramus! Mercy isn't an act of mockery! Forgiveness can be a powerful thing and can ensure that people's lives can work to greater purposes… as we would hope of you, Kentaurosmon." I said. "So you would ask for my support… even after all I've done to your kin?" Kentaurosmon asked. "Why not? We want to live peacefully with other Digimon! We don't want to have to take the lives of any Digimon we don't have to!" Nokia said.

"Bwahahahaha! How utterly naive! And yet…" Kentaurosmon went on before he continued: "You certainly don't fit the bill for how Leopardmon and Crusadermon described you…" "Humans and Digimon are very much alike in the sense that they are too diverse of a species to be stereotyped as any one thing." I said. "That… is also true." Kentaurosmon said. "Besides, there's no reason for our species to be fighting… the real enemy isn't humanity, it's the Eaters. They were the ones who ravaged your home, not us. And we want them gone just as bad as you do, Kentaurosmon." I said.

Kentaurosmon then snickered before he said: "Hahahahaha! You sure do talk a lot! And yet… you've also raised some very interesting points." He then stood and said: "I suppose I could support you humans. If not anything else, it seems like it would certainly be a lot more amusing than anything I've been doing." "Great! Welcome to the team, Kentaurosmon!" Nokia said. He then chuckled and said: "Yeah, yeah… alright, I'll head out of EDEN. If you ever require a hand… let me know." And then he left.

I then chuckled and said: "He may be blunt, but he's actually a pretty good guy." Nokia smiled and said: "He certainly is quite a character…" "Well it's certainly a good thing we got another ally, rather than losing another Royal Knight." Omnimon said. He then turned to me and said: "Simon, thank you for that opportunity." "Hey, I should be thanking you, Omnimon and Nokia! That wouldn't have ended so well if it weren't for you!" I said. I then went on: "You both were great too… you've really come a long way since the old days." Nokia then smiled and said: "Thank you! You have too, Simon!" I chuckled and said: "Thanks. Be sure to let me know if you need any help also, okay?" "We will! Thanks Simon!" Nokia said.

We then went our separate ways. I was about to call everyone back, but I noticed Zephyr looking a little down and I said: "Zephyr? What is it?" He then looked up and said: "Oh… well, I'm glad Kentaurosmon turned out to be an ally after all… but seeing him ravage so much and cause so much destruction…" and then he sighed before he said: "I try to help so many people, but it seems like it's not something that I'm going to ever have any complete success with…" "Are you saying you're upset because you want to help everyone, but it's bothering you that it will never end, Zephyr?" I asked. "Heh-heh… I know it sounds silly, but—" Zephyr began, but then I said: "Well what's wrong with that? If you'd run out of people to help, you would lose a source of happiness. Besides, helping people is fun and rewarding too, right? So why not take it one step at a time and enjoy it as it comes?" Zephyr then smiled and said: "Thank you, Simon. You're so good at comforting us. Yeah, I should just be focusing on what I enjoy doing, which is helping people, rather than worrying about utopian goals. I wouldn't want it to take away the happiness it gives me after all!"

And then he said: "Ah!" and there was a flash of light! When we could see again, Zephyr was still where he was, but he was different now… he looked very similar, but now his armor had become gray with a black stripe down his around his chest plate and tasset. He also had a black scarf and a black helmet. His arms had now become giant purplish-pink wings and his feet each had two purplish-pink toe talons, plus a bladed toe talon on the back of each one. He also had purplish-pink feathers on his shin guards (which were the same color) and looked the same height, although he was flying, making him appear taller.

"Did you digivolve?" I asked. "It looks like I did! The solace you brought me helped me digivolve into my burst mode form!" Zephyr said. "Well what do you know! I wasn't the finale after all!" Gil said. Zephyr then turned to him and said: "Haha, sorry Gil, but—" and Gil said: "It's fine, Zephyr! I was joking! I guess I need to work on that too!" and we all laughed.

Finally, I said: "Alright, well now that we've finished up, let's get going to our next objective!" Everyone nodded and I called them back before I took off. I was excited to tell Kyoko the good news about Kentaurosmon and I hurried back. And yet, I also couldn't help noticing… how much I had been enjoying Nokia's company lately. Being with her was starting to make me happy. I found myself smiling as I headed back to the office.


	49. Keisuke: Cocoon of memories

Keisuke Chapter 24—Cocoon of memories—

Over the next few days, teaching Yu about our work in Hudie (and mentoring him) was a very gratifying experience. He was pretty reliable too—he was proving to be just as much of a hard worker as he was in school. Chitose was also helping in making him feel welcome too! We all kept working together, until one morning when I was going into the hospital… I was headed up to check the laptop to see if there were any cases available, but then I got a phone call! I checked and saw it was from Erika. I picked it up and said: "Hello?" "Hi Keisuke. It's me again. I made an amazing discovery from Suedou's paper and I wanted to talk to all of you about it—could you come to my room?" Erika asked. "Sure! I'll be right there!" I said. "Thank you. I'll see you in a minute." Erika said.

We then said goodbye and hung up. I then went to Erika's hospital room and knocked on the door. "Come in." Erika said. I then entered and saw her and Wormmon there. "Hi Erika. It looks like the others still haven't arrived, huh?" I asked. "Not yet. We'll need to wait in the meantime." Erika said back.

I then got in the corner and soon Chitose and Yu showed up. When everyone was all there, Wormmon said: "Well, it looks like everyone's shown up! What was the big discovery, Erika?" "Yes, thank you for coming everyone." Erika said. "Hey, no problem! So what's the big news?" Chitose asked. "I'll get straight to the point: I finished analyzing the document Suedou gave me and now I know how to save Ryuji. I want all of you to help." Erika said.

"Really?! That's great!" I said. "But… Ryuji has EDEN Syndrome, right? How are you going to undo that?" Yu asked. "When Ryuji was 'kissed' by that Eater, his mental data was eaten and separated from his body. When the Eater ate that data, it transmitted it to a certain network where they send, process and share information. That's what they're always doing, or… so Suedou says anyway." Erika said.

"I see what you're saying. We simply infiltrate that network, grab Ryuji's mental data and haul it off to his body?" Chitose asked. "Exactly." Erika said. Chitose then put his hand behind his head and said: "It's crazy, but also simple enough…" and then he smiled and said: "Well, let's do it! Ryuji's been out of commission for too long!" "Hang on a minute—so we know there's a network where Ryuji's mental data is currently being held, but do we even know where it is? Or how to access it?" I asked.

"Yes we do. It's in the digital world." Erika said. "Huuuh?! The Digital World?! What would an Eater network be doing there?!" Wormmon asked. "I don't know… the document didn't say. But that being said, we do know where it is and I have an idea of how to access it." Erika replied. "And what is that?" Yu asked. "Kowloon. As Wormmon said when we first met, it's connected to the Digital World regularly. All we have to do is go there and use a rift to get to the Digital World." Erika said.

I then said: "Brilliant, Erika!" and she smiled before I went on: "But how will we get to the Eater network from there?" "You leave that to me. I have my own idea of how to do it." Erika said. We all then looked confused before Erika said: "Don't worry—I know what I'm doing. Now come on—let's log in." "Alright then! Ryuji, here we come!" I said.

We all then logged into Kowloon level one at Galacta Park. When we arrived, Yu said: "Okay, we're here… so how are we going to get into this rift, Erika?" "Watch!" Erika replied. She then brought up a screen of data and started typing on her wireless, whale-like keyboard until a rift appeared! "Whoa! You really did it! It worked!" Wormmon said. "And now we're off to the Eater network! Let's get going!" Chitose said. "Hold on—one of us needs to stay here and make sure no one else gets in." Erika said. She then turned to Wormmon and said: "Wormmon, would you mind?" "Not at all! Good luck saving Ryuji!" Wormmon said back. Erika then smiled and said to Wormmon: "Thank you. I knew I could count on you." She then turned to the rift and said: "Alright, here we go!"

And we all entered it. We then arrived in a black space with white-and-gray chain-like lines everywhere and black-and white rings below us forming a path ahead… "Whoa… it's darker in here than I expected…" Yu said. And then Erika said: "Shh!" before she whispered: "Don't give us away! We don't know how long we have before they find us, so we need to get in and out fast!" Chitose then whispered: "Sure… but how are we going to find Ryuji in all this?"

"Hold on…" Erika whispered as she pulled up another data screen and used her wireless, whale-like keyboard before she whispered: "It's further in! Let's go!" We then proceeded in, until a white wisp of data approached us! "Wh-whoa! What's…?!" Yu began and then Erika hissed: "I said, be quiet!" "Erika… is this Ryuji?!" Chitose whispered. Erika then pulled up another screen of data before she whispered: "Yup! There's no doubt about it! Chitose, can you save him to your phone?" "Leave it to me!" Chitose whispered. He then whispered to the wisp: "Sorry about this, buddy. Hope you don't mind! We're all really excited to see you though!" He then saved Ryuji's mental data to his phone and then Yu said: "Oh god…!"

"How many times am I going to have to tell you to keep your voice down?! Are you even listening to me?!" Erika hissed again. "It doesn't matter anymore! They're here!" Yu said. We then looked around and saw a swarm of Eaters! We then called out our Digimon and beat them down before I said: "Whew! That was close…" and then Erika said: "Doesn't matter! We got what we came here for! Now let's bail out!" and we all then ran back to where we came in.

We made a mad dash for the exit and we were getting close, until we heard Erika say: "Ahh!" and we turned around… and saw her grabbed by an Eater! "Erika!" We said. Erika then brought up a screen of data and started typing fast before she said: "Wormmon! This is an emergency! I need you to shut down the memory server!" and then there was a pause before Erika said: "It doesn't matter! Shut it down before it's too late!" The Eater then flipped Erika over, but then she suddenly disappeared!

"What just happened?!" I asked. "We'd better go before we get grabbed! Don't worry about Erika right now—her body would still be here if the Eater had consumed her mental data after all." Yu said. "That is a good point… alright, let's get out of here!" Chitose said. We all then escaped and re-entered Kowloon, coming out of the rift, which then faded away.

"Oh thank god, you're back! I was worried sick after the situation Erika outlined!" Wormmon said. "Never mind that! Where's Erika?!" I asked. "Don't worry—she's back at Central Hospital. I shut down her memory server, which for her caused a forced logout. She'll be safe." Wormmon replied. "How do you know about Erika's memory server?" I asked. "You mean she never told you?" Wormmon asked. I didn't respond and then Wormmon said: "…Erika synced me up to her memory server. I'm not connected to it directly like she is, but I do have enough of a connection so I have access to all of her memories—or almost all, anyway."

"Wow… that's incredible. Erika must really trust you if she's willing to share her memories with you…" Yu said. "Ehe!" Wormmon said back. "But there's still one thing that worries me…" Chitose said and then Wormmon said: "Yes?" "If you shut down the server… what's going to happen to her memory?" Chitose asked. "…Umm… I think until the server itself is rebooted and fixed… it will be gone." Wormmon said back.

"WHAT?!" We all said before Chitose said: "So Erika is going to have amnesia?!" "O-only temporarily! They'll have it up and running by tomorrow, I'm sure! And that's if my suspicion is even right!" Wormmon said. "Nothing personal, but I'm hoping you're wrong. Now come on! Let's go see!" I said. We then logged out and rushed back to Erika's hospital room and when we arrived, I knocked. We then heard Erika say: "Come in." That was normal enough, at least… we all then entered and I said: "Erika! Do you know who we are?!" "…No…" Erika answered.

We all then looked down… I then heard Wormmon say: "Erika! This isn't any time for jokes! You really don't remember us?" We all then looked up again before Erika said: "Why do you keep calling me 'Erika'? Is that my name? And how can you talk? You're a giant centipede…" "No! I'm a Wormmon, a Digimon!" Wormmon said back. "It's no good. We're going to have to hope this goes away fast." Chitose said. "Right. Let's go, Wormmon…" Yu said. "Ugh…" Wormmon said. We then left Erika's hospital room.

When we were out in the hall, Wormmon said: "Erika… it… it's so sad!" "We know, Wormmon. This isn't easy on us, either…" I said. "Ulp! That's right. Sorry…" Wormmon said. "Well come on—let's finish what we started and check with the nurses about Erika's memory server." Chitose said.

We all then found the floor where the technicians who worked on Erika's memory server was and asked about it. A nurse then replied: "Well the good news is that we can fix it… but it'll take a few days. Not in excess of a week, for sure. Please be patient—we'll do everything we can." We all then looked down as the nurse went back to work. "Erika's going to be an amnesiac… for a whole week?" Wormmon said. "Well… at least that's not very long." Chitose said. He then turned away and said: "I'm going to get Ryuji's mental data back to his body—" before Wormmon said: "Umm… shouldn't we wait until this dilemma with Erika's memory has been sorted out? He'll be devastated if he sees this…"

"Well Ryuji will likely be left weakened after having been separated from his body for so long… he'll need to go through some treatment himself, likely for longer than Erika. That being said, she'll be there for him when he's fully recovered and as good as new, so it'll be okay. See ya!" Chitose said. He then went off… "I'm going to go too and check on Yuri. Bye, Keisuke!" Yu said. And then he left too… I then sighed and said: "I guess all we can do is wait…" "Mmm…" Wormmon said. But then I heard a: "Ah, so you're here too?"

We then turned around to see it was Suedou! Wormmon looked surprised as she said: "S-Suedou? What are you doing here?" "I've been called in to monitor Erika's treatment for now, so that is why I am here." Suedou answered. "Why? I mean, you're a researcher and not a doctor, right Suedou?" I asked. "That is correct, but I still have a hand in this… you see, I was the one who developed the basic theory behind her treatment and the medical staff at this hospital perfected it." Suedou said. "Wow…" Wormmon said. "But Suedou… do you know how Erika's memory can be restored?" I asked.

"The staff have already figured that out, although there is a way to hasten her recovery…" Suedou began and then I said: "Please go on!" "Well let me start from the beginning—the staff have already told me everything, including that Erika has a Wormmon who has been synced to the server…" Suedou began and then he turned to Wormmon and said: "And might that be you?" "Yes, that's right." Wormmon said back. "Then you have all of the memories Erika has lost effectively 'on file' in your memory, including how to log in to the server. So—logically speaking—you could log in to the server, sync your memory to it, 'update' the memories in Erika and make her recovery instantaneous!" Suedou said.

"That's perfect!" Wormmon said. "Indeed, but it is not without risks. The server has very tight security, so you might need someone to back you up." Suedou said. Wormmon then turned to me and said: "Keisuke, would you be willing to do that?" "Of course! Leave it to me!" I said. "However…" Suedou began and then we both turned to him and he went on: "You might not want to restore her memory at all, really." I was shocked when I heard this… how could he say such a thing?! I then said: "What?! What are you saying?!"

"Big changes to our world are coming. Soon it will be a paradise where all bad, sad and painful things will disappear and the concepts of those things will cease to exist. That will apply to Erika too. Once these changes take effect, everything that you've done or could do may become completely meaningless. That being said, why return so many painful memories to her? Let her be at peace until then." Suedou said. I felt my anger welling up inside me as I said: "Hmph! You know nothing of Erika!" "Hmm?" Suedou said.

"Now it is doubtlessly true that she has more than a few sad memories… but that makes her strong. And she cherishes the good memories she has! I'm not going to steal those from Erika by being that irresponsible! And even if I could, doing what you're suggesting would make her a new Erika—and I liked her the way she was!" I said. Wormmon then smiled and said: "Well said, Keisuke!" "Hmm… are you sure you aren't letting your personal feelings get in the way?" Suedou asked.

Wormmon then frowned at him and said: "He's not! I know Erika better than anyone—except Erika herself—and she would absolutely want that!" "It seems your minds are made up on the matter. Very well, I wish you luck—Wormmon will know the way." Suedou said. "Okay, thanks…" Wormmon said, while I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him… We then left. Once we were by the elevators, I heard Wormmon say: "Keisuke?" and I turned to her and she said: "You're thinking about what Suedou said, aren't you?" "…Yeah. I was so disgusted with his weird brand of mercy. I guess I should have said something at the end like you did, but—" I began and then Wormmon said: "It's completely understandable… as ironic as it may sound, I actually wish I would have done what you did and ignored him." We then smiled and laughed together before Wormmon said: "So now we need to log in…" and I said: "Hmm… maybe we should do it outside the hospital?" Wormmon then nodded and said: "Yeah. I think that'd be best too—that way we wouldn't draw as much attention to ourselves. Let's try… Nakano." "Sounds like a plan! Alright, let's go!" I said.

Wormmon and I then went down to the ground floor and left the hospital. We went all the way to Nakano and then went to a terminal on the fourth floor before Wormmon said: "Well, it looks like we've found our log in point. Help me up, will you Keisuke?" I then picked her up and she started using it before we logged into Erika's memory server… it was nothing more than a big, white dome with blue portholes in an open, white space… it looked completely deserted too…

"Well, here we are…" Wormmon said. "It certainly looks mundane, but I guess that's to be expected—a memory server doesn't need to be fancy. Not that that's important anyway. Let's find a way in, Wormmon!" I said. "Alright! Let's approach it and see if there's something we can use." Wormmon said. We then went up closer and saw a terminal out in the front… "Can we use this?" I asked. "I think so… it looks operational. Let me try." Wormmon said. I then held her up to it and she started typing on it. Finally, Wormmon stopped and said: "What?! Wh-whoa!" and we got sucked in!

When we stopped, we were in the middle of an area with a space-themed background on all sides of us… I then heard Wormmon say: "Well this is certainly interesting." And I turned to her before she said: "Is this more along the lines of what you were expecting, Keisuke?" "A-ha… forget it. It certainly is odd this place even has a saved background though… now come on! Let's search for something we can connect you to so we can back up Erika's memory, Wormmon!" I said. Wormmon then nodded and we wandered forward until we spotted a control panel in the distance!

"That looks like what we're looking for! Let me try syncing up with it!" Wormmon said. She then pulled up a screen of data and started typing on it for a bit… "Wormmon?" I asked. The screen of data then collapsed and then a stream of data started coming out of Wormmon and went into the terminal! It continued until it stopped… I then walked up to her and said: "Wormmon?! Are you okay?!" Wormmon then shook her head and said: "Ungh… who-who's Wormmon?" "What?! No… not you too…" I said before Wormmon said: "E-hee-hee! Just joking! It was only saving a copy of my memories and transmitting them to the server—I didn't sacrifice them. Now that they've been uploaded to the server, Erika's memory should update any second and be restored!" I then gave a sigh of relief before I said: "You need to work on your sense of humor, young lady… but at least Erika's memory is restored! Now let's go see her!" "Yeah!" Wormmon said.

We then left the memory server and logged out. We then went back to Central Hospital and went to Erika's hospital room before I knocked on the door and Erika said: "Come in." We then entered and Wormmon came running in before she said: "Erika… do you remember me this time?" "Of course I do, Wormmon." Erika said as she smiled. Wormmon smiled widely as she said: "Yes! And Keisuke?" "Of course. I'd never forget this guy." Erika said. "What do you mean, 'this guy'?" I asked. Erika and Wormmon then giggled together before Erika said: "Oh Keisuke… you're so easy to get a reaction out of." And then we all laughed together.

Erika then went on: "Seriously though… thank you both. You both were completely right in what you said to Suedou." She then smiled and went on: "You know me too well." "It was our pleasure." I said back. "And according to Wormmon's memory, Chitose went to get my brother revived, right?" Erika asked. "Yup! Ryuji will be as good as new soon!" I said. Erika smiled and said: "That's great…" before she turned to Wormmon and said: "Hey Wormmon, I'm feeling thirsty. Get me a drink from the vending machines downstairs, will you?" "And that would be… the most sugary one I can find, right?" Wormmon asked. "Exactly. Here, take some yen to buy it with." Erika said as she gave Wormmon some. Wormmon then nodded and said: "Alright, I'll be back!" and she left the room. I then smiled at Erika and said: "I'm glad you're back, Erika." Erika smiled back and said: "Thanks." "Well, I guess I'll check out what's going on with Chitose and Yu. Let me know if you—" I began before Erika said: "Don't you go anywhere!"

"Huh…?" I said. "I wanted to talk to you. While Wormmon was away." Erika said. "What…? What about?" I asked. Erika then smiled and said: "I heard what you said." "When?" I asked. "When you were talking to Suedou. You said: what you're suggesting would make her a new Erika—and I liked her the way she was!" Erika said. I then felt stunned as Erika went on: "Thank you for saying that… I haven't had someone tell me that in years. It meant a lot." I then smiled and said: "No problem. You can be blunt, but when all is said and done, you're a wonderful person, Erika." Erika smiled back and said: "Thank you. And for what it's worth… I like you the way you are too."

I kept smiling after I heard this and so did Erika… but then we heard a knock on the door and we both immediately turned to it before we heard Wormmon say: "Erika? It's me. I brought you back a can of soda pop." "Thank you, Wormmon. Alright, I'll let you in…" Erika said as she went to the door and opened it. Wormmon then came in with the soda can and turned to me before she said: "Oh hey, Keisuke… I'm surprised you're still here." "Yeah, well I had some things I wanted to talk to Erika about." I said before I went to the door and went on: "Alright, I'd better go—I want to see what's going on with Chitose and Yu. See ya!" and I left.


	50. Simon: An appetite for redemption

Simon Chapter 26—An appetite for redemption—

When I arrived at Nakano, I went to Kyoko's office and entered it. I saw Kyoko look up and I said: "Hi Kyoko! I've got some great news!" "Ah, good to hear. So what is it?" Kyoko asked. "Nokia and I managed to befriend Kentaurosmon! He's on our side now!" I said. "Ah, excellent work Simon! And with him on our side, that leaves only three more Royal Knights, Crusadermon, Leopardmon and Dynasmon." Kyoko said. "Sounds like we're getting down near the end now… although those three don't sound like a receptive bunch…" I said and Kyoko said: "No. I think we're past the stage where we can recruit any more—after what I've heard, it sounds like none of them would ever side with us."

I sighed and said: "Well, I guess that's that… speaking of which, have you heard anything about where they are?" "Luckily, I have. I heard reports that Dynasmon was recently sighted in Odaiba. If you hurry, you might find him there!" Kyoko said. I then grinned and said: "That's fantastic! Alright, then I'm off to Odaiba!" "Alright. Be careful though, Simon." Kyoko said. "Of course! See you in a while!" I said.

I then left for Odaiba. When I arrived, I started to search the area for Dynasmon. I went from place to place and I didn't see Dynasmon anywhere, so I proceeded further in… eventually I arrived further in the city where I still didn't see Dynasmon… although I did see Arata here!

"A-Arata?" I said. He then turned around and said: "Ah, Simon. It's been a while." He then approached me and I felt a little uneasy and it appeared my body language revealed that, because Arata soon stopped and said: "What's the matter? You're feeling uneasy around an old friend?" "…Nothing personal, but I'm not letting my guard down around an Eater." I said back.

Arata then slumped his shoulders a little as he said: "Hah… well I guess I don't blame you… a lot of other people don't either…" I didn't respond, but I couldn't help but notice that he still didn't have Infermon with him… I then said: "And I see Infermon isn't with you either…" Arata then shook his head as he said: "Nope. I didn't want to drag him along in all this." "…Is it that, or is the issue that you're afraid he'll reject you if he sees what you've become?" I asked. "…Maybe a bit of both." Arata said back.

But then he went on: "But I can't let that get to me now… I've accumulated so much power and I need to be ready to carry out my goal now—" and then I said: "And what's that, exactly?" "…There was a friend who I betrayed long ago… his name was Yuugo. I had forgotten somehow, but now I've recently remembered… and I want to make up for what I did by rescuing him. He's trapped and I need to save him." Arata said.

"Y-Yuugo?" I said. Arata then chuckled before he said: "Heh. Yeah, I think you do know him actually—we met him in the digital shift in Shinjuku so long ago, after all." "So that Yuugo is an acquaintance of yours… I had no idea. But more so, I have to wonder…" I began and then Arata said: "What?" "Now that you've combined with an Eater, how has that affected you, Arata? I can't imagine you're still the same…" I said.

"What kind of question is that? I'm stronger and can take care of myself now! It's perfect!" Arata said. "No, that's not what I meant. Let me ask it this way: what has it given you in terms of what you feel?" I asked. Arata then paused before he said: "…To be honest, I haven't felt much of anything lately." "What?! What do you mean?!" I asked. "As I keep consuming data, I keep losing my ability to feel emotions, whether good or bad. I know it sounds scary, but… it's not as bad as I thought it would be." Arata said. "…I don't think that's true." I said back. "What?" Arata asked.

"You were human, Arata. I don't think that the prospect of losing your ability to feel happy is something that doesn't scare you. More so though, I have to wonder—if you keep going down this path, what do you think Yuugo is going to think if you rescue him as you are now?" I asked. "What…?" Arata said and I went on: "Do you think he'd be happy being greeted by a friend who can't feel happy or triumphant about what he's done? Being rescued by a creature with all of the joy gone from his heart? I mean, what's it going to matter to you if you lose the ability to rescue him and feel anything over it? What will it matter to you if you keep giving up your ability to feel?"

Arata then crossed his arms and said: "Hah… I knew you were honest, but I never imagined you were this unrestrained with words…" "You still haven't answered me, Arata." I said back. "Well what's the point of all this make-believe? I may not be good at reading people anymore, but I can tell you're advocating for me going back to being completely human… but there's no way for that to happen. There's no way to go but forward now…" Arata said. "Are you really not capable of answering what I asked?" I asked.

"…Well, I would rather welcome Yuugo with real joy, rather than a forced smile… but again, none of this even matters. You're pondering something that can't happen—" Arata began and then I said: "That's not true. I've saved someone from an Eater before." "What? Wait, is that for real?" Arata asked. "Yes. Yuuko was attacked by an Eater, but I got inside it and saved her by freeing her from it. I could do the very same for you, Arata—you could end this emptiness and misery today." I said. "Whoa… but…" Arata began before he said: "It's too late for me now. After all I've done and all the time I've spent away from Infermon, I can't go back…"

"Who said it's too late? Nokia and Yuuko don't even know about this—nor does Yuugo. You could act like it never even happened and they'd never know. Besides, they'd be happy to know you're okay. Remember what happened when you ran off to become a fugitive? They were worried about you. They'd be happy to know you're okay. And Infermon would be the same. He was always close to you and he'd be happy to see you again. Besides, something tells me he's not going to want to be locked up in a phone for the rest of his life." I said back. Arata's eyes widened before he said: "…You're right. I turned my back on my friends and my Digimon and I've been completely irresponsible… and it was all for nothing."

He then smiled a little before he said: "Thanks for helping me see that, Simon. Go ahead and get the Eater out of me—I don't want to be on my own anymore." I smiled and said: "You bet. It's good to see you come around, Arata—" but then I heard a: "My, my, what is this? That's not like you, Arata." That voice… it was Suedou's voice! Arata and I then turned in the direction of it and we saw him come out from around a corner.

I then frowned and said: "Hmph. Are you lurking behind every shadow, Suedou? Well get lost, this doesn't concern you." Suedou then ignored me as he turned to Arata and said: "And Arata… have you given up on your new strength you acquired to help people with out of your own power?" Arata then closed his eyes and I stood in front of Suedou and said: "I said this has nothing to do with you, you blood-sucking parasite! You have no right to use him in order to further your own agenda!"

"Who said I'm using him for my own agenda? All I'm doing is giving him the power that he wanted." Suedou said. "Aw give it up! You're certainly not helping him, making him lose his humanity and everything that matters to him! He is becoming more distant from what he wants to protect because of what YOU have done! You're just refining him into a stronger weapon to use like a tool!" I said. "Well it's not really your place to say what he wants to protect, now is it, Simon?" Suedou asked.

I frowned as I said: "You think I'm making this up…? He already told me he wanted to help Yuugo, but that won't mean anything to him if he stays on the path you've put him on! Arata should be happy! Arata should get to feel a sense of triumph!" Suedou then looked up and said: "But Arata… was it also not true that you wanted to do this on your own?" "…I just wanted to rescue Yuugo… that was what I wanted to do. I may naturally be a lone wolf, but that doesn't mean I'm against working with others." Arata replied.

I then smiled at Arata as Suedou said: "Are you certain, though? Your power would not be so easy to get back if you were to give it up now and there is no limit on how much you could gain as you are now—" and I said: "You're speaking as if Arata can only acquire that level of power as he is now, and that's a lie. Arata's not weak—he can do amazing things with us in a team, as he always has." Arata then said: "I wanted to be strong… not a traitor. I've made up my mind, Suedou." "Hmm… very well then." Suedou said. He then went on: "I'd best be off then. I wish you luck." And he took off.

When he was gone, Arata said: "Well, looks like that's that… he sure talks a lot doesn't he?" we both then laughed together before he said: "Now let's get this started—get me back to normal, will you?" "Of course! Hold on!" I said. I then connect jumped into Arata and when I arrived, the area was the same as when I had connect jumped into the Eater that had held Yuuko. I then proceeded straight ahead, until I saw Arata in the distance, with both of his arms normal and everything!

I then approached him and he said: "So here you are… that's some trick." "Perhaps, but miracles aren't easily made." I said back. Arata smiled and said: "Yeah. Well, I'm not sure how you're going to get me out of here, but let's make it happen!" I then nodded and took his wrist before I connect jumped out! When we were back in Odaiba, Arata was there with me… but he was back to his old self again—his arms were back to normal again!

He then said: "Well shoot… looks like you really pulled it off!" then he went on: "Thanks, Simon. I owe you for being such a good friend." "I'm glad to hear I'm one then." I said back as I smiled. "Of course. You're really loyal. It's impressive…" Arata said. We then smiled and he went on: "Well, I've got some things to do… I'm going to start by apologizing to Infermon and then…" Arata began, but then I said: "And then… what?" "…Well I've really fallen behind everyone else, so I want to not only train Infermon, but also to train some new Digimon with him, so I can really be as strong as I want to." Arata said.

I smiled and said: "I know you will, Arata. You're going to discover what real strength is and I'm sure you'll do great with all of them." Arata then smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon." "Do you need help getting back?" I asked. "Thanks for offering, but I can make it on my own." Arata said back. I smiled and said: "Alright then. Welcome back to the team… Arata." He smiled and we shook hands before we went our separate ways.

I then went back to Nakano to check in with Kyoko. Before I got there though, I got a phone call—and it was from her! I picked it up and I said: "Hello?" "Hi Simon. It's Kyoko here. I know you're out looking for Dynasmon, but do you have a moment? I'd like you to come back to the office—we have a big lead on Crusadermon." Kyoko said. "Sure, that's no problem. I haven't even found him yet. I'm on my way." I said back. "Excellent. Then I'll look forward to seeing you soon and Nokia and Yuuko will too!" Kyoko said. "Sounds great! See you then." I said.

Kyoko and I then hung up and I went back to Nakano. A big lead on Crusadermon… this sounded like a great opportunity! I then felt energized as I rushed back.


	51. Simon: The Alpha knight

Simon Chapter 27—The Alpha knight—

When I returned to Nakano, I entered Kyoko's office and saw her, Nokia and Yuuko there, and they all turned to me as I said: "Sorry about the delay, everyone." And then Nokia said: "Oh hey, Simon! It's good to see you back—we finally found out where Crusadermon is!" "So you know the exact location? Alright! Where is she?" I asked. "She's in Akihabara. Of course, she is a very formidable opponent, so you, Nokia and Yuuko will be going together." Kyoko said. "Sure, no problem." I said back. I then turned to Nokia and Yuuko and said: "Are you both ready?" "No time like the present!" Nokia said. "I agree; I can finally get back at her for all she did to me and Rie. That's why I'm going to be as careful as possible in this mission. You both can count on me to be level-headed for this." Yuuko said.

Level-headed… it sounded like she was still feeling some residual sadness from when she and I had thought we were going after Crusadermon, but ended up fighting Craniamon instead… and from how she had acted and what I did after the whole thing was done. I'd better keep my emotions under control if anything like that happens this time… Kyoko then said: "Well then, you'd best be off. Good luck and watch out for each other." "Of course! That's the kind of friends we are!" Nokia said. She then turned to me and Yuuko and said: "Let's go, go, go!" I nodded and we all left for Akihabara.

When we arrived, we called out our Digimon—I called out Zephyr, Daisy and Gil, while Nokia called out Omnimon and Yuuko called out Machinedramon. We then walked through the streets and eventually found a digital shift in an alleyway, just as Arata and I had long ago… "A digital shift… could this be where Crusadermon is hiding?" Nokia asked. "It seems likely. Let's go in and see what we can find." Yuuko said. We all nodded and entered the digital shift.

We searched throughout the area and we eventually saw a path that led up quite a way ahead. "Well, we've looked through a lot of other places… could this be it?" Yuuko asked. "Probably. It wouldn't hurt to check anyway." Nokia said. "Right. Let's check it out!" I said. Yuuko and Nokia then nodded.

The path itself was too narrow for our Digimon, so we called them back and I went in first, with them following. We then went up the narrow path to an open, wide dead end… and Crusadermon was there! "Aha! There you are, Crusadermon!" I said. Crusadermon then smirked and said: "Looks like you've finally found me. A job well done, Simon." I was surprised when I heard this and said: "You know my name?" "Well don't act so surprised… your little friends used it when I was still in Rie Kishibe's body, and I do remember a worthy opponent. And I also did a little looking into you too. Any good fighter will rely on knowledge just as much as raw strength." Crusadermon said.

"Hmph. How surprisingly prudent of you. But you don't scare me! You're finished, Crusadermon!" I said. Crusadermon then laughed haughtily and said: "Oh really? By you and what army?" I then turned around… and Nokia and Yuuko weren't there! "What the…?!" I said. I then turned back to Crusadermon, who was laughing and she said: "It was so fun using illusions against you like that! You thought you had your backup with you, when in reality, you walked into the hornet's nest alone! I bet they must be worried sick…"

I then ran back to the alleyway and Crusadermon started laughing as she said: "Not having those two with you is enough to make you run away? I never imagined you were such a coward! How disappointing!" This annoyed me so much that I turned back to her and said: "Don't get full of yourself, Crusadermon… I do not fear you. The reason I'm leaving is not because I'm afraid of you… it's because I'm worried about them. You're just a common, run-of-the-mill, evil bozo—you're not important compared to them."

After I said this, I was surprised to see Crusadermon actually look a little annoyed and she said: "Hmph. And you are just as repugnant as any other member of your species. Still though… the fact that you would let your prey get away in order to rescue your friends… it seems there are traces of chivalry in you. You do have some redeeming qualities…" And then she leapt over me and blocked my path as she went on: "Of course, you don't need to be afraid… I actually was separating you from them not to pick you off, but to be generous." "Generous? What do you mean?" I asked.

"The scourge that plagues the Digital World—the introduction of Eaters into it—started with four children coming to it over a decade ago. But you were not one of those four… you are clean of the sin they carry. You were just an idealistic fool who came here at the wrong time. When I started to consider that, I realized you shouldn't have to die here. That's why I'm going to do the honorable thing… I'll send you home." Crusadermon said. When I heard this, I paused for a moment but then I grinned and said: "Wow! What a high compliment that you consider me enough of a threat that you'd want to remove me from Japan so you could have a clearer path to victory!" "Wha-what did you say?!" Crusadermon asked.

"You don't fool me; there was no subtlety to your plan. You're scared of me, so you wanted to remove me from here so you could have an easier time conquering Japan, since this is where the Digimon are. Once you conquer Japan, your greatest opposition would be crushed—nowhere else in the world has Digimon, so you could pick off anywhere else on the globe infinitely easier! That's why conquering it is so important to you—it's the only real hurdle you have to jump, and the rest will fall like dominos. But unfortunately for you, I'm not that stupid. Besides, taking you up on your offer would remove me from where I can fight the problem at its source. To do that would ultimately be turning my back on my friends, family and neighbors. And that would be irresponsible of me." I said.

"How—how dare you! For you to make such an utter mockery of my generosity! Well I hope it's true that you really aren't afraid of me, because your abilities are about to be tested!" Crusadermon said. And then she caused a flash of light! When I could see again, Crusadermon and I were in a square room with blue, red and purple blocks and walls that did not go up to the top of the area—it was like a closed, floating island. Crusadermon then said: "Now you're stuck, you little brat! This digital space is too far away for you to communicate with your friends by your phone! Your only hope to get out of here alive is to slay me in combat… and that is not happening!" "You don't scare me! Let's go!" I said.

Knowing Crusadermon was a virus Digimon, I called out Zephyr, Pepper and Jason. Crusadermon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted her damage output with non-magic attacks. I then said: "Pepper, attack charge field! Zephyr, follow up with mourning dance!" and Pepper said: "Attack charge field!" and raised everyone's damage output with non-magic attacks. Zephyr then said: "Mourning dance!" and flew around Crusadermon, confusing her with his fast movements, before he flew in and slashed at her eight times with his wings! Zephyr then flew back as Jason said: "Bifrost!" and he shot Crusadermon with a bolt of energy from his crossbow. Crusadermon then said: "Mach rush 3!" and she charged at us before causing a shockwave that knocked my Digimon down.

"Pepper, use great tornado! Zephyr, use mourning dance!" I said and Pepper said: "Great tornado!" before he put his arms in front of him and started to rotate like a drill before he mowed down Crusadermon! She took the hit really hard before Pepper came back to our side and Zephyr followed up by attacking as he did before. Crusadermon then said: "Attack charge!" and raised her damage output with non-magic attacks again… Jason then said: "Bifrost!" and shot at her with his crossbow again.

My Digimon all then attacked as they had before Crusadermon said: "Fist of Athena!" and leapt at Pepper as she hit him with a very forceful punch! I then said: "Jason, heal Pepper! Pepper, recast attack charge field! Zephyr, attack with mourning dance!" Jason then said: "Final heal!" and restored Pepper completely! Pepper then said: "Attack charge field!" and increased my Digimons' damage boosts, as well as resetting the time they were active for. Zephyr then attacked Crusadermon again. Crusadermon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted again… my Digimon then all attacked together before Crusadermon said: "Mach rush 3!" and she charged and knocked them down with a shockwave again… My Digimon then attacked once more and Crusadermon said: "Fist of Athena!" and hit Jason this time—and he was looking bad!

"Ugh… she's doing a good job applying pressure…" I said. Crusadermon then laughed as she said: "Why thank you, Simon! I'm glad you have an appreciation for real power when you see it. And soon I will—" but then we heard an odd noise! Crusadermon looked up and I turned around and saw something: it was a tall Digimon that was gigantic, humanoid and walked on two legs. It wore an entirely black suit of armor with bronze edges around the feet, knees, hips, shoulders, wrists and elbows. It had a red gem in between its yellow eyes and black pointed ears sticking out of the top of its head. It had black and bronze metallic wing-like adornments coming out of its back (and facing down) and a blue cape bound around its neck. It looked 13 feet tall.

Crusadermon then smiled and said: "Ah, Alphamon! Impeccable timing, as always! I'm glad to see you've come." "Great…" I mumbled as Crusadermon went on: "Out of fealty and respect for our king, why don't you help me cut down this human? It'll be just like old times!" The Digimon then grinned and drew a gigantic blade like a spear and flew straight at me! "Look out, Simon!" Zephyr said as he got in the way! "Zephyr, DON'T!" I said. Yet when the Digimon closed in, it jumped over me and landed in front of Crusadermon! It then said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and slashed at Crusadermon instead!

Crusadermon fell from the impact and then stood up as she said: "What blasphemy is this?! You mean to oppose me as well?!" Alphamon then said: "Blasphemy? You don't have to categorize what I am doing as that just because we see the situation differently." "But how could you? What have they done to cause your mind to rot, Alphamon?" Crusadermon asked. "It is not just humans who have made me decide that the blame does not lie with humanity…" Alphamon began and then Crusadermon looked just as confused as I did before she went on: "…But besides that, I do not see any logic—or maturity—in your desire to freely hand out blame."

"Why you…! Have you forgotten that it was these creatures who caused the Eaters to come through?!" Crusadermon asked. "But think for a moment; in your narrative, the children who came to our world came by themselves. They did not bring the Eaters with them, nor did they intend for the Eaters to come. They only came as genuine wanderers, excited by what they saw. The Eaters came later—you know this." Alphamon replied.

She then went on: "Your weakness in regards to how you deal with humans is that you let anger control you, rather than reason. You don't need concrete, factual evidence to attack an entire world—you just need a scapegoat to take your frustration out on. Such impulsiveness, such short-sightedness and being so utterly driven by indiscriminate—and irrational—hatred is unbecoming of a Royal Knight."

I liked what a good thinker Alphamon was, although now that I had heard her speak enough times, I realized something: I knew her voice… but I couldn't quite remember where I'd heard it. "Argh! Enough! I have had enough of you insulting me and my fealty! If you stand against me, then I will destroy you too!" Crusadermon said. My Digimon and I then stepped forward… and Alphamon did too. Crusadermon then said: "Fist of Athena!" and hit Jason… and knocked him out! I then called him back and sent in Scott. Alphamon then said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and slashed at Crusadermon again. I then said: "Scott, use guard charge field! Pepper, nail her with great tornado!" and Scott said: "Guard charge field!" and boosted everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks! Pepper then attacked with great tornado while Zephyr used mourning dance to attack.

Crusadermon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted herself again. I then said: "Scott, use lightning joust! Pepper and Zephyr, use those attacks again!" and Scott said: "Lightning joust!" and rammed his lance into Crusadermon before Pepper and Jason attacked again, followed by Alphamon.

Crusadermon then said: "Mach rush 3!" and attacked with it again. We all attacked again and then Crusadermon said: "Fist of Athena!" and leapt at Alphamon and punched her, hard! I then said: "Pepper, use attack charge field! Scott, use guard charge field! Zephyr, attack with mourning dance!" and then Pepper and Scott did so before Zephyr attacked with mourning dance!

At this point, Crusadermon was starting to look worn out… just then though, we heard another odd noise! Crusadermon then looked up again before Alphamon and I turned around, and we saw… Nokia and Yuuko! Nokia then said: "Simon!" and she ran up to me before she hugged me and said: "I was so worried… I'm glad you're safe." I smiled and hugged Nokia back as I said: "I'm glad you're safe too…"

Crusadermon then laughed haughtily and said: "Young love! What a beautiful thing… and such a gratifying thing to destroy!" We then turned to her and Nokia said: "You demon…! You're going to pay now!" But then we heard Yuuko say: "Wait! Let me!" and we turned to see her come running in. She then went on: "I need to get even with her! After all she did to me and Rie, I need payback!" "Sure! We'll do it together!" Nokia said.

She then called out Omnimon (and Yuuko called out Machinedramon) before I said: "Pepper, use great tornado! Zephyr, use mourning dance! Scott, use lightning joust!" and they all attacked again. Crusadermon then said: "Mach rush 3!" and attacked with it again. "Omnimon, use supreme cannon!" Nokia said. Omnimon then said: "Supreme cannon!" and then the head at the end of his arm that looked like MetalGarurumon's mouth opened, revealing a small cannon and he shot a cannonball at Crusadermon! Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and he shocked Crusadermon with electricity!

Crusadermon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted again. I then had Pepper and Scott boost everyone's physical damage output and damage resistance before I had Zephyr attack and Nokia and Yuuko had their Digimon attack as they had last time. Crusadermon then said: "Fist of Athena!" and attacked Pepper with it… and knocked him out! I then called Pepper back as I said: "Scott, Zephyr, keep up those attacks!" and they hit Crusadermon as they had been doing. "Omnimon, supreme cannon!" Nokia said. Omnimon then fired again before Yuuko said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3!" and Machinedramon zapped Crusadermon again… and she fell into a kneeling position!

Yuuko and Machinedramon then stepped forward and Yuuko said: "At last… after all this time, I can finally punish you for all you've done!" "Heh-heh… have you thought that through?" Crusadermon asked. Yuuko then looked confused before Crusadermon went on: "If you kill me here, I will not be the only one who dies…" and Yuuko asked: "What? What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember? Rie Kishibe is my host. Before I came along, Rie was an EDEN Syndrome sufferer, and was basically dead. But by entering her body, I brought life back to it—I gave Rie Kishibe a second chance. She was alive again, as she used to be, and she doesn't need to stop living now. But if you were to destroy me here, that would all go away, and Rie would be basically stone dead again. And how could you do that to your beloved mentor? After all Rie did for you… don't you want her to have another chance?" Crusadermon asked.

We then turned to Yuuko and she looked down before she shook her head and said: "Argh… I want to destroy you… but I don't want to destroy Rie…" then she went on: "I can't do it. Revenge isn't worth this kind of sacrifice." Crusadermon then began to laugh madly as Alphamon frowned and said: "How utterly pitiful, Yuuko Kamishiro. I did not expect you to falter at a time like this… nonetheless, if you won't avenge your fallen friend… then I'll do it for you! Blade of the dragon king!"

And she leapt at Crusadermon as Yuuko said: "Wait!" and Alphamon cut her down… Crusadermon then collapsed and fell face-first onto the ground. Yuuko then said: "How could you?! Rie was innocent—" but then something unbelievable happened: We heard Rie's voice say: "Don't worry Yuuko—it was exactly what I wanted." Our heads then spun in the direction of Crusadermon. We could see a bright pink light shining from her torso!

Yuuko then ran up to it and got down on her knees before it and said: "Rie…! Is that you?!" "Yes. Yuuko… you always were such a gentle person. But you mustn't doubt your friends. They were right—I would rather die the woman I was than live as a helpless puppet, committing all sorts of awful deeds… Even if I could continue to live, I don't have anything left to return to really, after that monster destroyed my good name…" Rie said. She then went on: "Thank you all for understanding that. And thank you for watching over Yuuko while I couldn't." Yuuko then said: "Rie… I'm so sorry about all of those horrible things I said when I was in Roppongi—" and Rie said: "Don't be. You obviously felt devastated and betrayed. Anyone would understand, Yuuko."

Yuuko then smiled faintly as Rie said: "I'm glad I had the chance to help you. I've always been so proud of you, Yuuko—you're an amazing person and I'm going to be sad that I'm not going to get to see you keep growing and keep becoming even more amazing than you are…" "Amazing? That's a little hard to accept, for someone who keeps on making mistakes… I almost feel weak as a person…" Yuuko said before Rie said: "Weak? No, no! You are strong. After all, stop and think about it for a minute Yuuko—you've had to live under incredibly harsh conditions. You didn't have your family and had to live as an orphan and you spent so many years feeling sad, lonely and like there wasn't anyone around you that you could trust as a result… the weight of that would have crushed anyone else by now, but the fact that you are still alive and you didn't give up on living after so many years of that should be enough by itself to prove how strong you are. But it doesn't even stop there—now you have a job at Kamishiro Enterprises at your age, you're saving Earth with your friends and you're the leader of a team of hackers that protect cyberspace… you're a real-life success story, Yuuko."

Yuuko then smiled and said: "Thank you, Rie… for what it's worth, I always trusted you when I was growing up… you were such an enormous help to me, almost like a second mother…" and Rie said: "I'm very happy to hear that… knowing I made a difference in such an amazing person's life is very gratifying… even if I can't be there for you anymore Yuuko, I know you have what it takes to go the rest of the way."

But then the pink light in Crusadermon's torso was starting to grow dimmer… "R-Rie?!" Yuuko said. "Ahhh… it seems my time is almost up. But I have something to ask you, Yuuko…" Rie began and then she went on: "Before I disappear, please, promise me one thing—" "Yes! Anything!" Yuuko said back. "Please… restore Kamishiro Enterprises to what it once was. I believed in Kamishiro and its ability to change people's lives and I don't want to see it lose all of its credibility and die because of what that monster did…" Rie said. Yuuko then said: "Yes, of course! That was what I wanted to do anyway! Don't worry Rie—one day, Kamishiro will be revered again!"

"Good… thank you. I know I can trust you with this, Yuuko. But before I go… I have something I want to share with you… something very important…" Rie said and then Yuuko said: "Okay… what?" "Your father Satoru is alive. He's being held at an underground research facility in Odaiba." Rie said. "Wh-what?! Do you know it's exact location?!" Yuuko asked. "Yes. I'll send you the location now… hee-hee! It kind of helps being in something so digital." Rie said. Yuuko's phone then vibrated and she looked down at it before she smiled and said: "Rie… thank you so much! With this, I can finally start putting my family back together!" "Think nothing of it, Yuuko. I'm glad I could make that a reality…" Rie said.

Then the pink light began in Crusadermon's torso began to grow even dimmer… it was barely visible now. Rie then said: "It looks like my time is up… goodbye, Yuuko…" and then the pink light was gone… Crusadermon then started to fade away until she was gone…

Nokia and I turned to Yuuko, and she was starting to cry. Finally, she screamed: "RIE!" and buried her face in her hands. Nokia and I then went up and each put a hand on one of her shoulders. Yuuko then looked up at us before she said: "Thank you… thank you both." Yuuko then stood and sniveled before she said: "I'll be okay. I'll just need some time." "That's understandable… well, I suppose this is no place for us to be contemplating this… let's go back." I said.

"But before we do…" Nokia said and then we all turned to her as she said to Alphamon: "How did you find this place?" "I am simply a worldly Digimon, talented at finding what I am after… it is no more complicated than that." Alphamon said. Nokia then put her hands on her hips as she said: "What kind of answer is that…? What are you trying to hide?"

"It's not the only thing she's hiding… she knew more than how to find this place." Yuuko said. We all then turned to her and she looked at Alphamon before she went on: "There's something I need to know… before you cut down Crusadermon… how did you know my name? No one had said it yet." Before Alphamon could respond though, Nokia said: "Yeah, that's true… we never mentioned it."

"Well there's no mystery to it… haven't you been listening to her?" I asked. "What?" Nokia asked. I then approached Alphamon before I said: "After I heard you talk a bit, I knew I had heard your voice before, but I wasn't sure where… but I'm sure now! You may go by Alphamon… but you're Kyoko!" Yuuko and Nokia then said: "WHAT?" Before Alphamon smiled and said: "Leave it to my dear Watson to solve a mystery so fast. I knew you'd be the one to figure it out, Simon… you always have."

"I guess that's pretty much an admission… that sounds like Kyoko, both in her voice and how she talks…" Yuuko said. "But Kyoko—er, Alphamon—what happened? How did you take a human's body?" Nokia asked. "I simply used the same method Crusadermon did and targeted a human who had acquired EDEN Syndrome and made her my host to reanimate her with complete control over her… Kyoko Kuremi was simply my first choice." Alphamon replied. "What? So Kyoko… has EDEN Syndrome too…" I said.

"Yes. I can understand how that would be disappointing to you, Simon—that woman was the one who you thought was your caring, wise boss for all this time, after all." Alphamon said. "But still… why Kyoko? Why was she your target?" I asked. "Kyoko was the perfect human for me to target for more than one reason… for one, Kyoko had a personality that was very similar to mine, so it would be easy learning how to act like her when she wasn't that different. Also, Kyoko was a detective specializing in digital crime, meaning that she had all the tools I needed to carry out my investigation I came to Earth to conduct." Alphamon said.

"You came here… to investigate?" Yuuko asked. "Yes. I too am a Royal Knight, and I am something of a manager among them. That is why it is only natural I had to come here to see if humans were as guilty as everyone thought they were. My conclusion that I have drawn from what I have learned is… they are not. It was a misunderstanding that was formed from a lack of information." Alphamon said.

"Ugh… it's too bad word of that couldn't have reached the other Royal Knights before the Paradise Lost plan…" I said and then Alphamon looked down before she said: "I know… I could have saved Examon, Craniamon and Crusadermon's lives if I had been faster… in that sense, I have failed." "I didn't mean it that way Alphamon; don't let it get you so down. Consider it a fool's rambling." I said. Alphamon then looked up and said: "Anyways, let's get back to Nakano. We can discuss the rest there." "You're right, Alphamon…" I said before I looked ahead and said: "It looks like there's a logout zone there! Let's go!" and we all went to it and logged out!

The next thing we knew, we were back in the digital shift in Akihabara… although Alphamon was back in Kyoko's body again! "Alphamon? What happened?" Nokia asked. "We're going back to my office, remember? I can't very well be seen there in my normal form, now can I?" Kyoko asked. "That's an excellent point! Alright then! Let's go back!" I said. We all then made our way back.

When we got back to Kyoko's office, we all got seated and Yuuko said: "Well, here we are again… still, to think that we were working with a Digimon all this time…" "I know. Still, I guess it would explain how she could keep serving us that coffee that was like drinking from the river Styx without—" Nokia began, but then I said: "Nokia!" before Kyoko looked inquisitive and said: "Oh? I had no idea it was so bad… let me try again then, so I can redeem myself and make it up to you…" and then Nokia said: "Ack! No, I beg of you!"

Yuuko and I were trying to hold our laughter in before she asked: "So it looks like we're really getting down the wire now, with only two hostile Royal Knights left… what's our plan?" "For the time being, I'll need some extra time to figure out where Leopardmon and Dynasmon are. That's why you're all off the hook for now… I'll call you when we're ready to make our move." Kyoko said. "Well… that works for me too. After all, now I can use the data Rie gave me to go rescue dad!" Yuuko said. She looked so happy when she said it too… and then she went on: "But still, let me know when the time comes. I'll be waiting." "Yeah, me too! I can't wait to get this all sorted out!" Nokia said. Yuuko, Nokia and I all then smiled and I said: "I guess that's that then. We'll be sure to contact you! Thank you both for coming and have a safe trip home!" and then Nokia and Yuuko left.


	52. Simon: United by song

Simon Chapter 28—United by song—

The next day, I came into the office and Kyoko looked up before I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Have you figured out where Dynasmon and Leopardmon are yet?" "Not exactly, but I am getting closer. In the meantime, you should work on cases or training your Digimon for the big battle that's looming on the horizon." Kyoko said. "I see. Alright, then I'll get to it!" I said.

I then did two cases before dusk rolled around. After I was done with the second, I left the office, but then I got a phone call! I picked it up and said: "Hello?" I then heard laughter so loud, I pulled the phone away from my ear before I heard a: "Hey Simoooon! It's been a while hasn't it?" I recognized the voice right away… it was Jimiken's!

I felt my eyelids droop and I asked in an annoyed fashion: "How did you get this number?" "Didn't I tell you before? I'm an all-star hacker, baby! I can dig this stuff up!" Jimiken said. He then went on: "Besides, you shouldn't be giving me the cold shoulder with the opportunity I'm going to give you: I'm inviting you to my comeback show at Shibuya Records tonight! It's a once in a lifetime show! Be there or be square!" "I always liked squares—I thought they were a pleasingly symmetrical shape." I said back. I then prepared to hang up, but I thought I heard Jimiken say: "Oh, how sad! And how disappointed little miss Reiko will be—" Reiko… the girl I had met at Shibuya Records when we were investigating Etemon?!

I then immediately put the phone back to my ear before I said: "Wait a minute… what did you say?! What have you done to Reiko?!" Jimiken then laughed loudly again before he said: "Well what if I have done something? You'll have to come to my comeback show to see! So see you there!" and then he hung up…

I then put my phone away and immediately headed to Shibuya. As I headed out the front door of Broadway (and into the streets) I immediately heard a: "Simon! Thank goodness I found you!" I then turned my head to see Etemon waiting near the entrance! "Etemon! What are you doing here?" I asked. "I was looking all over for you. I wanted to go into the building, but given how afraid of Digimon most people are, I was worried I'd cause an uproar in there…" Etemon said.

He then went on: "I haven't—well, let me start from the beginning: Reiko helped get my music out in a special section of Shibuya records, so we've been communicating ever since. We got to talk quite a bit and we became friends. She may be young, but she has a lot of insights about music and is a good kid. But the thing is, I haven't heard from her in a while now and I'm starting to get worried… I know you're someone who investigates things, so could I ask you to help locate Reiko? And don't worry—I'm not expecting you to do it for free."

"Well the good news is that I already have a lead on where she is—" I said and then Etemon said: "WHAT? Then you've got to tell me!" "She's going to be at Shibuya Records tonight, during Jimiken's comeback show… it wouldn't surprise me if she was kidnapped." I said back. "WHAT?! Jimiken?! That untalented, washed-up, insult to rock music?! And he kidnapped her?!" Etemon asked. "I can't prove it, but I think it's likely… he tried to bait me by letting me know she was going to be there." I said.

"Grr! He better not lay a finger on her! Or else I'll be sure to kick that throat of his that he needs so much!" Etemon said. He then went on: "Well that does it! If he's going to kidnap my friends, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" and then there was a flash of light!

When I could see again, Etemon was still before me, but he was different now… he still was humanoid and walked on two legs, but now his body was entirely covered in dark gray metal—except for his underbelly, which was colored silver. He had black sunglasses, a black teddy bear attached to his belt, a yellow medal around his neck, a black band around his right arm and red written characters on his chest. He looked 6 feet tall.

When I saw this, I said: "Did you digivolve, Etemon?" "Yup! That's MetalEtemon now! Now come on! Let's go rescue Reiko!" he said. "You don't have to tell me twice! To Shibuya Records!" I said. We then hurried over to Shibuya and arrived in front of the store, where a crowd of people had assembled and a stage was set up in front of the store. Jimiken was standing up on top of an arch high above the ground as he said: "Hey there boys and girls! Welcome to my comeback show!" and the crowd cheered before he went on: "And what better place for it than Shibuya Records? To us musicians, this is a holy land! An oasis of culture for music of all stripes! Of course, mine is still the best!" and everyone in the crowd cheered before MetalEtemon muttered: "Tch… just look at his ego…"

Jimiken then went on: "I know you've all been waiting to hear my music after my little break, but before we get to that, I thought I'd shake it up with a guest performer, baby! Rock and roll!" and then everyone made that rock and roll sign, with their thumb, index finger and pinky finger, with their middle and ring fingers down (including Jimiken) before he said: "So without further ado, here we go! Presenting… little miss Reiko Tawa!"

And then Reiko walked up on the stage! She then said: "Hey everybody! It's good to be here tonight! Many of you likely know me as an employee here at our wonderful Shibuya Records, but it is my great honor tonight to be up here as a performer! And tonight, I'll be singing the greatest of Jimiken's songs… Ephemeral Hummingbird!" and the crowd all cheered before Reiko started singing it!

"Wha—what's going on?! How did Jimiken get Reiko up there to sing the junk _he wrote_?!" MetalEtemon asked. "I'm not sure whether it seems natural or not… Reiko is a music enthusiast, but she doesn't seem like the type to like Jimiken's genre of music…" I said back. MetalEtemon then paused and I asked: "Well, looks like we've got an opening… should we go for it?" "…Not now. Even if it is Jimiken's junk… at least it's Reiko singing it… I'm actually excited for her. Let's wait until she's done to crash this concert." MetalEtemon said. I smiled and nodded.

I didn't like the demonic-loving lyrics in the song… at least Reiko's voice did it some justice. Eventually, Reiko stopped and the crowd cheered before she said: "Thank you! Keep your love for music going, everyone! Music is the soundtrack of our lives!" and then she stepped back before Jimiken went off to the left and came back down onstage a minute later… there must be something to get him down behind the arch's pillar… Jimiken then came up on stage and said: "Aaaaalright! And now for the main attraction! Here we go!" and then MetalEtemon said: "That's what YOU think, you one-hit wonder!" and he ran up to the stage!

I then followed him and when Jimiken saw us, he grinned and said: "O-ho! I was wondering when you punks would show! Looks like you came at just the right time too, although autographs are going to have to wait until after I'm done. Ahahahaha!" "Spare me your ego, you washed-up, embarrassment to music! What are you doing kidnapping Reiko?!" MetalEtemon asked.

Reiko then put her hand over her mouth before she put it down and said: "Etemon, is that you? And Simon's here as well?" "Long time no see, Reiko!" I said. "Reiko!" MetalEtemon said. Reiko then grinned and said: "So did you just arrive, or were you here for my performance?" "We saw everything. You were great Reiko—it's too bad you couldn't be the one singing all night instead of this hack musician!" MetalEtemon said. Reiko then smiled before Jimiken said: "Hack musician? Me? Forget it! I'm at the head of rock and roll!" "Please, you're just a rip-off of—" MetalEtemon began and then Reiko said: "Hey, quit fighting you two! What is this all about?"

I found her response more than a little odd… nonetheless, Jimiken turned to MetalEtemon and me and said: "Yes, what indeed? Well how about you get back down in the audience and sit down and watch the show? Or do you want to blow it onstage instead?" "Try me!" MetalEtemon said. "Right on! I'll rock you, metal monkey!" Jimiken said.

He then called out three Digimon… two were on either side and they were humanoid and walked on two legs. They wore black pants that had flames on them. They had two silver shackles around their ankles and silver shoes with a skull on the front with wings coming out of the sides. They also had two belts in an 'x'-shape around their waists. They were bare chested and had chains around their arms and chains in an 'x'-shape around their torsos. They had a metal mask over their faces, red eyes and spiky blue hair with flames coming out of their heads of the same color. They looked 6'5 tall.

The one in the middle was taller and it looked humanoid and walked on two legs. It had black pants, brown boots with silver tips over its toes and had nails sticking out of its knees, top first… it was also bare chested and had green skin and a silver lightning bolt pattern on its chest. It had iron bangles around its arms and had more nails sticking out of its wrists and knuckles, tops first… it also held an axe in its left hand. It had a silver mask with more nails sticking horizontally out of the mask, tops first. It had tan skin on its face, short spiky red hair and looked 8'2 tall.

I then felt my phone vibrate and I checked it and it said: "Left to right: SkullMeramon scan data: 10%, Boltmon scan data: 5%, SkullMeramon scan data: 20%." It also said all three of them were data Digimon, so virus Digimon would be effective, but I knew Jimiken liked to use panic, so I called out Jason, Larry and Sabrina—I had a plan. I then said: "Sabrina, use status barrier on yourself! Larry, use guard break field! Jason, prepare to block!" and Sabrina said: "Status barrier!" and brought up a purple barrier in front of herself that protected her from having her attributes get lowered or from being affected by bad statuses. Larry then said: "Guard break field!" and cast a spell that lowered the damage resistance Jimiken's Digimon had to non-magic attacks. Jason then started watching them closely. Jimiken then said: "Boltmon, use attack charge field! One of you SkullMeramon, use heavy metal fire on Sakuyamon! The other one should use panic wisp on Titamon!" and then Boltmon said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell that increased his and the SkullMeramons' damage output with non-magic attacks. One of the SkullMeramon said: "Heavy metal fire!" and breathed blue flames at Sabrina. The other said: "Panic wisp!" and sent a small wisp of red fire flying at Larry. It hit him and when it did, he started to look flustered… MetalEtemon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and a giant boulder formed in between Jimiken's Digimon and shattered, raining shards of rock down on them!

I then said: "Sabrina, use status barrier on Jason! Jason, use restore!" and Sabrina said: "Status barrier!" and protected Jason with a purple barrier too. Jason then said: "Restore!" and whitish-yellow light shined from each of my Digimon and MetalEtemon… and Larry looked calm again! When Jimiken saw that, he said: "Whaaaat?! How dare you!" And I frowned before I said: "Oh shut up! You're the lowlife who's always turning Digimon against each other! You deserved that outcome!" Jimiken then looked mad and said: "Alright, both of you SkullMeramon—use heavy metal fire on the… the… whatever that centaur Digimon is! Boltmon, use thunder fall 3!" and both of the SkullMeramon breathed blue flames at Jason while Boltmon said: "Thunder fall 3!" and caused lightning bolts to zap our side! MetalEtemon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and attacked with it again.

Jason was starting to look beaten down from these attacks… Jimiken then said: "You two SkullMeramon, get that centaur Digimon while he's weak! Heavy metal fire—" and then MetalEtemon said: "Not so fast! Banana slip!" and then he conjured a banana peel in his hand and threw it at one of the SkullMeramon's feet! He slipped and fell on it and looked dazed—it looked like he wasn't going to do anything now! The other then breathed blue fire at Jason, but it wasn't enough to defeat him by itself! "Dyah… you're really a pain, you know that, metal monkey?!" Jimiken said. MetalEtemon then grinned and I said: "Great job, MetalEtemon!" I then went on: "Sabrina, use status barrier on Larry! Jason, use final heal on yourself! Larry, use soul core attack on one of the SkullMeramon!" and Sabrina said: "Status barrier!" and protected Larry with a purple barrier too! Jason then said: "Final heal!" and restored his health completely! Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed with his gigantic sword at one of the SkullMeramon—he took it really hard too! "Boltmon, use attack charge field!" Jimiken said and Boltmon said: "Attack charge field!" and further increased his and the SkullMeramons' damage output with non-magic attacks…

MetalEtemon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and attacked with it again. Jimiken then said: "Both of you SkullMeramon, use mach rush 3! Boltmon, give the centaur Digimon a tomahawk stinger!" and then the SkullMeramon charged at my Digimon (and MetalEtemon) and each created a shockwave, knocking them down. Boltmon then said: "Tomahawk stinger!" and spun around before he threw his axe at Jason! Jason took it hard, but got up. Jason had taken a lot of damage, but Sabrina was starting to look a little worn down too… I could always use Jason's final heal, but it could only heal one target at a time and I wasn't sure if Sabrina could survive a gang attack from all three of Jimiken's Digimon in the next round… more so, Sabrina could do a lot of things that stopped Jimiken from being as dangerous, so it was more important that she stay in the fight… I then said: "Sabrina, use amethyst mandala! Jason, use final heal on Sabrina! Larry, use guard break field again!" Sabrina then said: "Amethyst mandala!" and she swung her staff around before a magic circle formed on the ground beneath her and flower petals went flying into the air as a dome of energy formed around her and shot outward! All three of Jimiken's Digimon recoiled before Jason said: "Final heal!" and restored Sabrina's health completely and Larry said: "Guard break field!" and cut the damage resistance of Jimiken's Digimon to non-magic attacks even further!

Jimiken then said: "Okay, finish that centaur Digimon off! Boltmon, hit him with tomahawk stinger! Both of you SkullMeramon, use mach rush 3!" and they did so before Jason collapsed. He then said: "Ugh… sorry everyone. I know you can do it though! Go get him!" I smiled as I called him back and sent in Scott. Jimiken then laughed as I said: "Sabrina, use status barrier on yourself! Scott, use guard charge field! Larry, get ready—acceleration boost!" and Sabrina said: "Status barrier!" and refreshed the duration of her barrier. Scott then said: "Guard charge field!" and increased everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Larry then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack! MetalEtemon then followed through and said: "Banana slip!" and threw a banana peel at the feet of the SkullMeramon that Larry hadn't attacked! The SkullMeramon then slipped and fell, but looked dazed and wouldn't get up!

I then said: "Larry, finish off the SkullMeramon you attacked before! Use soul core attack! Sabrina, give Scott a status barrier! Scott, use attack charge field!" and Scott said: "Attack charge field!" before he boosted everyone's damage output with non-magic attacks. Sabrina then said: "Status barrier!" and gave Scott a protective purple barrier. Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at the SkullMeramon he had previously attacked, who went down after the hit! "Tch…" Jimiken said before he went on: "Boltmon and SkullMeramon! Use attack charge field!" and then they did, boosting themselves up. MetalEtemon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and attacked with it again.

Jimiken then said: "Boltmon, hit Sakuyamon with a tomahawk stinger! SkullMeramon, use mach rush 3!" and they did so. I then said: "Sabrina, give Larry another status barrier! Scott, heal Sabrina! X-heal! Larry, use acceleration boost!" and Sabrina said: "Status barrier!" and refreshed the duration of Larry's barrier. Scott then said: "X-heal!" and restored Sabrina's health. Larry then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack! MetalEtemon then attacked with another awesome quake 3.

I then said: "Scott, use attack charge field again! Sabrina, use amethyst mandala! Larry, finish Boltmon off! Use soul core attack!" and then Scott boosted everyone's damage output with non-magic attacks before Sabrina said: "Amethyst mandala!" and attacked with it again. Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at Boltmon—and soundly took him down! Jimiken then said: "Argh! SkullMeramon, use heavy metal fire on Sakuyamon!" and he did so before MetalEtemon said: "Banana slip!" and threw another banana peel at SkullMeramon's feet, causing him to slip and fall… and he got dazed again!

"Scott, use guard charge field! Sabrina, use status barrier on yourself! Larry, acceleration boost again!" I said. They all then did so before MetalEtemon said: "Banana slip!" and attacked SkullMeramon with it again, while he didn't do anything… I then said: "Scott, boost everyone with attack charge field again! Sabrina, give Scott another status barrier! Larry, finish him off! Soul core attack!" and they did so before Larry said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at SkullMeramon—and took him down!

Jimiken then called his Digimon back before he said: "Dargh! I was hoping you'd get rusty after so long… you really are timeless…" "Darn right! Now let Reiko go, or else I'll be ready to start collecting your teeth!" MetalEtemon said. "Ha! Try me, metal monkey!" Jimiken said. I wasn't sure where he was thinking this was going to go… MetalEtemon's arms looked around five times the size of Jimiken's…

They then approached each other, but then Reiko ran in between them and said: "Stop fighting, both of you! What is this all about anyway? You thought I was kidnapped?" "You… weren't kidnapped, Reiko?" I asked. "No! He brought me here to give me a chance to sing tonight! You know, Tanaka—" Reiko said, but then Jimiken walked up and put his hand on her shoulder before he said: "What she means to say is that _someone in my band with that name_ was out in the field, looking for up-and-coming talent, and he happened to meet Reiko here. After they talked for a bit and he asked Reiko to sing a line or two for him, he quickly decided she was a talented singer and later approached me, suggesting I interview her, to see if she was good enough to perform tonight. When I met Reiko, I concluded she was, so I gave her the chance to sing tonight. That's how this all started."

"Hmph. How courteous. That's not like you." I said. Jimiken then looked annoyed before MetalEtemon said: "I'll say! And if you had any business sense, Reiko would be the one performing tonight instead of you!" "Hey, stop it! You've both forgotten what music can do for people! It's not something to fight about!" Reiko said. She then went on: "Seriously! Quit trying to provoke each other and enjoy the music, already!" "…Well if you gave Reiko that kind of a chance… I suppose I can call a truce for now…" MetalEtemon said. Jimiken then laughed and said: "Now you're talking! So go on and take your seat, metal monkey! There's plenty more of my music to come! Maybe some of Reiko's too!" "You…!" MetalEtemon said before he shook his head and said: "Hmph! Simon, let's watch, shall we?" "Um… okay?" I said.

MetalEtemon and I then got further in the back and he then turned to me and said: "Thank you so much for helping me take down that idiot, Simon. I'm so happy to see Reiko was alright and not in danger after all." "Yeah. I never expected it to turn out like this, but… I'm glad it did." I said. "Well before anything else happens, let me give you the reward I promised. Take this with my compliments." MetalEtemon said. He then gave me the reward and I said: "Thank you… are you sure, MetalEtemon?" "Of course! Your kind of generosity should be rewarded!" MetalEtemon said.

He then went on: "Well, I guess things are just about done here… what are you going to do, Simon? Are you going to watch the concert?" "…If it's okay, I think I'll pass. I don't really like his kind of music—" I began and then MetalEtemon laughed before he said: "Yeah! I don't blame you!" and then he went on: "I am still hoping there'll be an encore for Reiko, though… that's why I'll stay here and watch. Besides, I want to make sure she'll be okay for the evening." I smiled and said: "You're a really good Digimon, MetalEtemon… alright then. Enjoy the evening!" and he nodded before I went back to Nakano.


	53. Keisuke: Love as a science

Keisuke Chapter 25— Love as a science—

We continued our work until few days later, when we were informed that Ryuji and Yuri had recovered enough so that they were ready for visitors! We then hurried to their floor and when we arrived, we saw Ryuji and Yuri waiting for us! Erika smiled and said: "Ryuji!" as she ran up to him. Chitose then grinned and said: "Heh-heh! It's good to see you out of bed and back with the team, Ryuji!" and then he turned to Yuri and said: "You too, Yuri!" I then said: "It's great to see you both! We were all worried about you."

Yuri smiled and said: "Thanks everyone! It's great to see all of you too! I'm really glad to be strong enough to walk out of my own power now too—I was so worried I was going to become handicapped." Even Ryuji smiled and said: "Hm… it's been a while." And then he paused before he said: "I never thought I'd be back after getting that gross kiss from that Eater. Not the best one I've had by a long shot…" and then we all laughed together before Ryuji went on: "But that was one heck of a miracle you all pulled off… thanks."

Erika, Chitose, Yu and I were all overjoyed before Ryuji looked at Yu and said: "Come to think of it… who's he?" Yu then turned to Ryuji and said: "My name's Yu. I was recently accepted into Hudie." Ryuji then smiled and said: "So Hudie's still growing… that's a great thing to see. Welcome to Hudie, then!"

We all smiled together before a nurse came up behind us… she made herself known when she said: "Erika, you promised you'd go back to get some rest once you'd seen him." Ryuji then looked dismayed before he said: "Huh? What's this all of a sudden…?" "I'll talk to you about it soo—" the nurse began before Erika hastily stepped in and said: "Don't worry about it. I'll see you soon, Ryuji—I'm excited to catch up with you." Ryuji then forced a smile as he said: "Sounds good… alright, see you soon, Erika."

And then Erika and the nurse walked away. Ryuji then immediately turned to me, Chitose and Yu and said: "What was that?! Has Erika gotten worse…?!" "We don't know. That was the first hint of anything like that we'd seen too… we were as shocked as you were." I said back. "What a moron, coming up during that heartwarming reunion and ruining it like that…" Chitose said in an annoyed fashion. "I know… it was like letting the air out of a balloon…" Yu said. Ryuji then nodded and said: "Yeah. It was all I could do just to force a smile after hearing that nurse say that…" "I know how you all feel… but we don't even know if that's the explanation, right? Don't go panicking before you even know the problem." Yuri said.

We all smiled and then I asked Ryuji and Yuri: "So how much longer is it going to be before you've both recovered?" "It'll be a week for me; then I'll be as good as new and more than ready to go back to Hudie life!" Yuri replied. "I've got anywhere from one to two weeks, but at least then we'll all get to back to Hudie after that…" Ryuji said.

We all then looked down and Ryuji said: "What…? What is it?" "Ryuji…" Chitose said before he proceeded to tell Ryuji everything that had happened since he had acquired EDEN Syndrome. By the end of it, Ryuji looked drained and said: "Ugh… that's even more bad news…" "I'm sorry, Ryuji…" I began, but then Ryuji suddenly grinned before he said: "…But on the other hand, it sounds exciting too." Chitose, Yu, Yuri and I all then looked confused before Ryuji went on: "With so many paranormal events going on, Hudie's going to go into overdrive! We'll have all kinds of things to do once I recover! I can barely wait to be honest, so I'll do whatever it takes to get better faster! Don't worry about me—just hold down the fort on that PC until we can all go together."

We all then smiled together. It felt good to see Ryuji so optimistic, even though we weren't expecting it… "No problem! See you in a week or two, boss! We look forward to seeing you soon too, Yuri!" Chitose said. "You bet! I'm excited to get back to work too! See you soon!" Yuri said.

Chitose, Yu and I all then walked away. I then said: "Well, it looks like we have some downtime for a while…" "He seemed so prone to having his emotions switch around quickly… is he always like that?" Yu asked. "Maybe a little… but I'm still glad for him. I haven't seen him that excited in ages." Chitose said. "You're right Chitose—he was a lot more full of life than usual." I said. Chitose and I both laughed as we headed back to Erika's hospital room to check the BBS. Unfortunately, there weren't any new cases…

I guess it'll be back to researching Arcadiamon then, if I can't think of anything better to do… but to be honest, I was kind of getting tired of researching his activities… I wanted to do something else, but I wasn't too sure of what… I'd like train my Digimon for the battles ahead, but in a way that would prove more effective than usual… I tried to think of such a method, but then I remembered something that the Ciel from the training gym had told me long ago: she said that the most important thing for making a Digimon strong was love… I felt like I had been loving my Digimon, but I wanted to see if there was a way to prove that… then I eventually thought of something interesting:

The idea was to take my most loved Digimon of all into a battle where they would be disadvantaged and see if they could win. All I needed to do was identify who that was… although it felt like I didn't really even need to think about it; I knew it was Lilithmon. Now I just had to think of an opponent, although Ciel and Blanc from the training gym themselves seemed like a good challenge… I then decided to begin by asking Lilithmon if she was okay with this experiment.

I then logged into the Digilab and greeted Mirei before I went to the farm island and called Lilithmon out. When she appeared, she said: "Hi, master!" but then she looked around and said: "Oh? It looks like we're the only ones here… did you want to ask me something?" "Sort of. I have some downtime and I wanted to use it by training. The thing is, I remembered something that a Sistermon Ciel from Kowloon told me a while back: she said that love was the most important thing to make a Digimon strong, and I wanted to see if I could prove that…" I began, before I went on to tell Lilithmon my plan to have her spar with Ciel and Blanc from Kowloon. I then went on: "So are you up to it, Lilithmon?" "Wow… that is a difficult proposition… but that's a high compliment that you think I can do it too, master. If that's what you think, I won't let you down!" Lilithmon replied. I smiled and said: "That's a good girl! Alright, then let's get started with some special training to get you ready!"

And I spent the next couple of days training Lilithmon. I also created a special program that would really pump up her attributes and completely heal her—Lilithmon was strong and I knew I could trust her, but I had a feeling she would need a little more help. On the third day, we finally went to Kowloon and I went to the training gym again. When I arrived, I saw Ciel and Blanc there and I said: "Good to see you again, Ciel! Blanc!" they then turned around and Ciel smiled and said: "Well, look what the cat dragged in! Keisuke!" "Hey Keisuke! Long time, no see!" Blanc said.

They then approached me and I said: "So how's business?" "It was fantastic for a little while, but the rate of customers coming has dropped a little lately… people are scared of an Arcadiamon or something?" Blanc said. "Yeah. It's annoying, because we were doing so well after you helped us get off the ground, Keisuke… still, we owe you a lot of credit for that. Thank you so much!" Ciel said. She then went on: "What about you? How are you doing?" "Overall, pretty good." I said back. "Great! That's good to hear that you're still holding up okay after all this time!" Ciel said back.

Blanc then said: "So what brings you here today?" "I had a favor I wanted to ask… I wanted to test the accuracy of a statement Ciel made—" I began and then Ciel said: "A statement I made? What was that?" "You should know! It's your statement!" I said back. Ciel and Blanc then looked confused as I went on: "… And to do that, I was hoping to have a battle with you. Is that okay?" "Sure! You were strong in the last battle, so this should be really gratifying!" Blanc said. "Umm… I'm not sure I get this, but… okay…" Ciel said. They then digivolved into their awake forms and then Ciel said: "So what Digimon are you going to use to fight us?" "I'll show you now…" I said as I called Lilithmon out. When I did, Blanc looked shocked and said: "What?! A Lilithmon?! And only one Digimon no less…" Ciel then looked a little reluctant before she said: "Are you sure this is fair to your Digimon? Particularly when she's in some way disadvantaged against us both?"

"It's all part of the test. Besides, where there's a will, there's a way. We'll find a way to win. Isn't that right, Lilithmon?" I asked. "Absolutely, master." Lilithmon answered. "You both seem dead set on this… very well. If you're really sure, let's begin!" Ciel said. I then said: "Lilithmon, use character reversal on Blanc!" and Lilithmon said: "Character reversal!" and ran up to Blanc before she slapped her with the back of her hand. Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lilithmon twice! Blanc then said: "Divine pierce!" and ascended into the air and held her trident up before it became electrically charged and she pointed it at Lilithmon and zapped her with a beam of light from it—but it barely did anything. It looks like the bug status condition Lilithmon inflicted with character reversal is working!

"Lilithmon, time to get pumped! Use mental charge field!" I said. And Lilithmon said: "Mental charge field!" and cast a spell on herself that boosted her damage output with magic attacks, as well as her damage resistance to magic attacks. Ciel then said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lilithmon again before Blanc said: "Holy light 3!" and then a shining, exploding cross of light formed where Lilithmon was! I then said: "Lilithmon, give them a hell crusher 3!" and Lilithmon said: "Hell crusher 3!" and then she made purplish-pink wisps spin around Ciel and Blanc and then crash into them! Ciel then attacked with fury fire while Blanc attacked with holy light 3. The next turn played out exactly the same.

By now, Lilithmon was starting to look worn out, so I then brought up a screen of data and started typing on it as I prepared to use the program. I then said: "Alright! Play time is over!" and then I used it to fully heal Lilithmon, to pump up her damage resistance to non-magic attacks and really pump up her damage output with magic attacks (as well as her damage resistance to magic attacks). Ciel then attacked with fury fire (and Blanc used holy light 3 again)… and when they saw how little damage their attacks did, Blanc said: "Whoa! That really powered her up!"

"Lilithmon, get ready! Use acceleration boost!" I said and Lilithmon said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen her next attack. Blanc then said: "Safety guard!" and created a blue barrier in front of Ciel that worked once per casting to stop Ciel from being defeated when she otherwise would be and leave her intact with almost no health instead. Ciel then said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted her and Blanc's damage output with non-magic attacks.

"Lilithmon, use Phantom pain on Blanc!" I said. Lilithmon then said: "Phantom pain!" and she formed a magic circle with her hand in front of her before she blew little motes at her through the magic circle. When the motes crashed into Blanc, she said: "Yaaahh!" and fell over! "B-Blanc?" Ciel said before she turned back to Lilithmon and paused before she said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen her next attack! "Lilithmon, use mental charge field again!" I said. Lilithmon then did so and Ciel said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lilithmon. Lilithmon took it pretty hard, so I said: "Alright, time to heal up, Lilithmon! Use final heal!" and Lilithmon said: "Final heal!" and completely restored her health! Ciel then said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted her damage output again.

"Alright Lilithmon, use acceleration boost!" I said. Lilithmon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen her next attack. Ciel then did the same and I said: "Alright, go for it! Use phantom pain!" And Lilithmon did so. Ciel took it pretty hard and the blue barrier in front of her shattered before she rose and said: "Fury fire!" and shot at Lilithmon. "Finish her off, Lilithmon! Phantom pain!" I said. Lilithmon then attacked with it… and Ciel was down!

Ciel and Blanc then got up on their knees and Ciel said: "I can't believe it… for us to lose with a numeric advantage and against someone we both had an advantage over… that's incredible. Your Lilithmon has become truly strong… you and her are the greatest of combinations, Keisuke." Lilithmon and I smiled and I turned and said to her: "She was absolutely right to call you truly strong. I'm sorry if I pushed you a little too hard Lilithmon, but you really proved the extraordinary things you're capable of today! I've always been proud of you, but to see you succeed in the face of the seemingly-impossible is an incredible experience that is so rewarding." Lilithmon then smiled and said: "Thank you, master! I wasn't sure if I could win in such a one-sided situation at first, but I knew I could… because you believed in me."

We then hugged each other and when we let go, I heard Ciel continue: "Well, it looks like that wrapped up great… so would you mind telling me what this big secret is? That is to say, this statement I made?" I then turned to her and said: "Well sure. It was your statement that love is the most important thing for a Digimon to grow." "Hmm?" Ciel said. "I wanted to test the accuracy of that statement, so I took a much-loved Digimon of mine and decided to see if our love could overcome odds that looked impossible, and she did just that. So I can see that you are absolutely right—the path to true strength for a Digimon comes from loving them." I said.

Ciel then said: "So by losing, I have proven that love is the most important thing to a Digimon…" she then put the backs of her hands on her hips before she said: "To be honest, I don't like how you structured this test of yours so I'd have to lose in order to prove that, but I'm glad I proved something so important to you, so I can live with my loss." "Me too! That battle was so fun and intense that I can accept losing it." Blanc said. "Alright then. I'm glad to hear that it worked out for everyone!" I replied. Ciel then looked at me as she said: "But still, I'm going to throw something back at you…" "Huh? Like what?" I asked. Ciel then turned to Lilithmon and said: "Tell me something… he says he loves you, but… how do you know that?"

Lilithmon then smiled and said: "I always felt loved by master—he always treated me kindly and like I was special—but there was one day where I knew it without a doubt—" and then Ciel said: "This sounds interesting. Go on." Lilithmon then continued: "Before I was in master's care, I had another tamer. He didn't pay much attention to me or treat me like I was special, so I left him when I had the chance and later encountered master, who saved me from some Digimon that were attacking me out of the goodness of his heart. I then joined him and we had some great adventures and times together, but the time I was talking about came when master confronted my former tamer at a standoff over the Digimarket… do you know what that is?"

And Ciel said: "I think so… it was a service that captured Digimon and sold them off, right? I thought it had been destroyed though." "Yes, exactly. Anyway, master decided to destroy the Digimarket at that standoff, and I had already told him about my history with my former tamer. When it started, he chastised my former tamer for neglecting me, then my former tamer actually approached me before master stood in front of me and told him to back off. Master managed to scare him away and keep him away from me. He then defeated him in a battle before he went off and defeated the other defenders of the Digimarket with his friends. When they had all lost, they fled and master and his friends destroyed it. After they were all done, I thanked master for not giving me back to my former tamer… and do you know what he said next? He said that I was too important to give away to someone like him and that he didn't want me to ever think about or worry about it again. When I heard that… I really knew I was loved and how lucky I was to have met master." Lilithmon said, with a smile on her face.

Ciel then smiled and said to me: "That was a beautiful story. With your permission, I'd like to tell that story to any tamers who come here who aren't sure what love for their Digimon looks like." "That sounds fine to me, but it's not entirely my decision to make…" I began as I turned to Lilithmon and said: "What do you think, Lilithmon?" "I think it's a wonderful idea, master." Lilithmon said back. "Well there you have it. Feel free to tell that story to whomever you please, Ciel." I said. Ciel then grinned and said: "And you even asked her if it was okay… you really are a good tamer. But thank you, I'll be sure to do that!"

We all then smiled together before I said: "Well it looks like we're almost done here. Thanks again for helping us, Ciel and Blanc… but before we go…" and then I turned to Lilithmon and said: "Heal them, will you, Lilithmon?" Lilithmon nodded and then said: "Final heal!" and healed Ciel fully before she turned to Blanc and did the same thing. Blanc then smiled and said: "How gracious of you! Thank you both and I hope you have a safe trip home!" "We will. Thanks again!" I said.

Lilithmon and I then left. As we walked through Kowloon, I smiled and said: "Boy, was that ever a success! You were so amazing, Lilithmon." she then smiled and said: "Thank you, master. All our training really paid off!" "It sure did! And we're really going to be ready for all of our upcoming adventures too!" I said.

Lilithmon then stopped and I turned around and looked at her as I said: "…What is it, Lilithmon?" and then she said: "Master… you wouldn't ever stop raising us… would you?" and then I frowned and said: "Of course not! What gave you that crazy idea?!" Lilithmon then smiled before she said: "I was just worried that if you ever got tired of being a hacker that that would be the end of our time together…" "Don't be ridiculous! Even if I did ever quit Hudie—which I'm not planning on—I still would never leave all of you behind like that! You're all my precious partners and I really enjoy your company. We've all built up a powerful bond with each other and I don't want to be without all of you! So don't worry about that ever again, Lilithmon—we're all friends forever!" I said.

Lilithmon then smiled and came up and hugged me before she said: "Thank you, master… hearing that makes me feel free from any further anxiety. I'm not worried about any obstacle we'll face—we can overcome anything as a team. And as long as we'll all be together, there's nothing left to worry about! I'm so blessed to have you as a master." I hugged her back and said: "And I'm blessed with you and ten other amazing Digimon whose company I enjoy as much as I do. So as long as that's been cleared up, let's get back to being excited about what's ahead, okay?" and Lilithmon and I let go before she said: "Yeah!"

And then we logged out. Ciel had proven her point… love was the most important thing to raise a Digimon. At least I had been doing the right thing! And now that I knew my method, I was determined to train my Digimon with more of it than ever, before Ryuji and Yuri recovered!


	54. Simon: The whole truth

Simon Chapter 29—The whole truth—

The next day, I went into Kyoko's office and when I arrived, she looked up and I said: "Good morning, Kyoko. Have you made any more progress determining Dynasmon and Leopardmon's locations?" "As a matter of fact, I have! I've located them both and I wanted to present my findings to you, Nokia and Yuuko—both of them are already on their way, so they should be arriving soon. Then we can all talk about it as a team." Kyoko said. "Oh that's great! Alright, I'll wait for them here then!" I said. I then stood by the whiteboard.

We then waited until Nokia came through the door. She then said: "Hi Kyoko! Hi Simon!" "Ah, welcome Nokia. I'm glad you could make it." Kyoko said. "Of course! I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Nokia said. She then looked around and said: "Huh? Where's Yuuko?" "She hasn't shown up yet. We're still waiting for her arrival." I said. "Oh really? I'm a little surprised I wasn't last to arrive, but I'm not complaining, of course!" Nokia said. "Exactly. Go on ahead and have a seat, Nokia—Yuuko should be here shortly." Kyoko said. "Actually, I was hoping to catch up with Simon for a bit." Nokia said as she approached me. I then smiled as Kyoko said: "Certainly. Just keep in mind that once Yuuko arrives, we'll have to start." "Of course!" Nokia replied.

Kyoko then went back to her work and Nokia then went on: "So how are you doing, Simon?" "Great! How about you?" I asked. "Glad to hear it! I'm doing well myself!" Nokia said. She then went on: "So how much longer are you going to be in Japan?" "I only have five days left… then I'll be going home." I said back. Nokia looked a little disappointed before she said: "Wow… so it's really coming down to the end now, huh?" "Yeah…" I said back. I then went on: "But it's been the best vacation I've ever had. The memories I made here will last forever." Nokia then grinned and said: "I'm glad to hear that! Yeah, it's been an amazing adventure for all of us."

We then went on talking until we heard the door open and we turned to see Yuuko had entered! I then heard Kyoko say: "Welcome, Yuuko. I'm glad you made it." "Yes, sorry I'm late—work has been pretty demanding lately—" Yuuko began before Kyoko said: "Don't worry about that. We're just happy you could be here." She then went on: "Well then, now that all of the players are here, I think it's about time we got started, don't you?"

We all nodded and got seated on the couches before I said: "Alright, so where are Dynasmon and Leopardmon?" "Luckily, both of them are in the exact same place—the Tokyo Metropolitan Building." Kyoko said. Nokia's eyes then widened as she said: "Aaah… and that's a gigantic building… it has 50 floors! How are we supposed to find two Digimon in a labyrinth like that?!" "We know which floor Leopardmon is on—the 50th, the rooftop. That being said, he'll be easy to find. Dynasmon isn't going to be much harder—he is on a floor where the elevators can reach the lobby. So if we take each elevator, we will eventually find him." Kyoko said.

"That certainly sounds easy enough… So I guess we'll be making our final move, right?" Yuuko asked. "I'm afraid it's not that simple—do you remember how when Kamishiro was under Crusadermon's thumb, she was controlling digital waves?" Kyoko asked. We all nodded and Kyoko went on: "I found out that she had a network of lines which the digital waves flowed from… and each one has its own power source. Leopardmon is going to try to connect to each line and drain the energy from the power source so he can power himself up to insane proportions… he could even surpass Examon if he were to do so."

"That's a pretty serious problem… what can we do about that?" I asked. "Luckily, the power sources can be hacked—so if we can get into them first, we can switch the direction that the energy naturally flows from, so that it drains power from the connection point, rather than transmitting it to there. That way when Leopardmon tries to connect, it will steal his strength away from him, rather than give him any." Kyoko said.

"That's brilliant! Way to go, Kyoko!" Nokia said. "Well hold on, we don't even know how many lines there are." Yuuko said. She then turned to Kyoko and asked: "How many lines were there, Kyoko?" "There are five." Kyoko said. "Oof… and there are more of those than there are of us…" Nokia said. "That's true… how are we going to hack them all and launch an attack?" I asked.

Kyoko then grinned and said: "It's a good thing that you and Nokia formed your little team, because we'll need their help to hack the lines. There are more of them alone then there are lines, so with their help, it should be a piece of cake." "Er-oh yeah! Good thinking Kyoko!" I said. "Oh-ho! I like it! Now's the time for the Heroes' Network to step up and take the lead!" Nokia said.

"Indeed. But those tamers are going to need someone to lead them… and that should be none other than their leader, Simon." Kyoko said. "But… Simon's the strongest out of all of us. Can we really afford to have him stay behind and leave the fighting to us?" Yuuko asked. I then paused and thought: this was a risky proposition and unfortunately, Yuuko had a point—it would be hard for just her, Nokia and Alphamon… we'd need at least one other person who could help them if this was going to work… but then I thought of Arata—he had said he was going to train more Digimon and he wasn't an Eater anymore, so there wasn't any reason that we couldn't bring him along…

I then took out my phone and Yuuko said: "Simon? What are you doing?" "Hang on… there's someone I want to call to see if he can help…" I said. I then called Arata and set the phone down before I put it on speaker. Arata then said: "Hello Simon. What's up?" and then Yuuko and Nokia said: "Arata?!" "…Is that Nokia and Yuuko? What's going on?" Arata asked. I chuckled and said: "Sorry, Arata! I was calling because we needed your help to take down the last of the Royal Knights. I have you on speaker so that Nokia, Yuuko and Kyoko can participate." Kyoko then said: "Hello, Arata. I hope you've been holding up okay." "Sure, as well as I can, anyway… so fill me in—what are the details?" Arata asked.

We then reiterated it to him and by the end, Arata sounded excited and said: "Ahaha, sure! That sounds like loads of fun compared to what I've been doing! When do I need to be at the metropolitan building by?" "We're leaving immediately, so as soon as you can. We look forward to seeing you there." Kyoko said. "Great! See you there!" Arata said. He then hung up.

We then departed for the Metropolitan Building. As soon as we were out of Nakano, Nokia said: "Alright, looks like the team's going to be back together for the first time in a while! Ooh, I'm so excited!" "Yeah that's true… it's been a long time since we've seen Arata." Yuuko said. As soon as we were away from any people, Kyoko stopped and we all then turned around and Nokia asked: "What is it, Kyoko?" "I just want to get ready for what's ahead. Hold on for a minute…" She replied.

And then there was a flash of light! When we could see again, Alphamon was standing where Kyoko was. "Alphamon? You just wanted to return to your normal form?" I asked. "Exactly right, Simon—given what's at stake, we'll need the help from all of the Digimon we can get and I should be helping too." She replied. "Well that'll help with you on our side! Alright! Let's get back to the Metropolitan Building then!" Nokia said. Alphamon nodded and we continued.

Along the way, I called everyone in the Heroes' Network, explained the situation to them and asked them to log into the hall of heroes soon to start hacking the lines. Eventually, we arrived at the Metropolitan Building, towering high up into the sky… "Looks like we've arrived…" Yuuko said. "Um… I don't see Arata anywhere, do you?" Nokia asked. "He has it harder as a fugitive—we should be patient with him. He is reliable though, so he should be here soon enough." Alphamon said.

We then waited around for a bit, until we heard a: "Sorry I'm late, guys. The Metropolitan Building is a long way out." We then turned around to see Arata there! I came up and shook his hand before I said: "Glad you could make it, buddy!" Nokia then grinned and said: "Long time no see, Arata!" and Yuuko said: "It's good to see you made it." "Of course! I'm too stubborn to go down now!" Arata said. And we all laughed.

Arata then looked around before he said: "Huh? Where's Kyoko? I thought she said she would be here…" "Ahahaha… it's been some time since that day, Arata Sanada… I would ask if you would like a cup of my special blend again, but I remember you didn't take much of a liking to it last time…" Alphamon said before Arata's eyes widened and he said: "No… way… th-that's Kyoko?!" We all laughed before we explained it to him and he said: "I see… so she has EDEN Syndrome too, huh? Dang, to think that Crusadermon wasn't the only one pulling a human's strings…"

"While I suppose that's one way to look at it, I don't appreciate being categorized with Crusadermon in that way—I didn't do any of the things that she did… or destroy Kyoko Kuremi's reputation like Crusadermon did with Rie Kishibe either." Alphamon said sternly. "Urk! Sorry, I didn't mean it like that…" Arata said. He then went on: "I wasn't trying to say you were a bad Digimon… it's just a shock to see this phenomenon play out more than once…" "I guess I can see how a human would think that." Alphamon said.

She then went on: "Well, now that all the players are here, it's about time to start." And then she turned to me before she pointed and said: "Simon, do you see that terminal?" And I saw there was one out in front of the Metropolitan Building. "Yes… you don't need to say anything more, Alphamon: I'll log in to the hall of heroes and start hacking the lines." I said. Alphamon then smiled and said: "Excellent. I knew I could count on you." She then turned to Arata, Yuuko and Nokia and said: "The rest of you will be going with me to attack Dynasmon and Leopardmon, so stay alert. Alright then, let's go!"

And I saw them enter the building while I logged into the hall of heroes. When I arrived, I saw that Yasu, Haruka, Daisuke, Takashi, Megumi and Yasanori were all there. I then said: "Hey there. Thanks for coming everyone." "No problem. Still, what's this about, Simon?" Haruka asked. "We're going to hack some lines with a power source at the end—the idea was to switch the direction that the energy flows from. If one of the last two Royal Knights connect to it, we'll be in big trouble, so we'll have to hurry!" I said.

"Whoa… the Royal Knights? Those Digimon that have been leading the attacks on people?" Yasanori asked. "Yup—them." I said back. "That's pretty serious stuff… how many of these lines are there?" Yasu asked. "There are five." I answered. "Well with each of us on it, we should be able to get that done." Megumi said. "Right. Besides, I love a good challenge!" Takashi said. I smiled and said: "You've all got the right attitude! Alright, let's get to work!" and then I helped each of them get situated and choose a line to hack (one group was a group of two though) and I went around, helping them accordingly.

(Meanwhile, at the Metropolitan Building…)

Alphamon, Nokia, Arata and Yuuko all hurried to the ground floor and checked the elevators, with one checking each of the four. Alphamon then turned to them and said: "It looks like this one is operational… what about each of you?" "Nope… this one's locked down right now—it can't take anyone past the lobby…" Nokia said. "Same here…" Yuuko said. "The same is true of mine too—it can't go past the lobby either." Arata said. "Hmm… likely a precaution taken by Leopardmon and Dynasmon… very well, we'll just have to make our way through the long way! Come along, everyone!" Alphamon said.

Nokia, Yuuko and Arata then went in front of the elevator Alphamon was in front of and prepared to enter, but then Yuuko paused and said: "Wait a minute… this elevator is only about 7 feet high… how is Alphamon supposed to get in?" They then heard a familiar voice say: "Like this." and then they turned around to find Kyoko there! "Oh yeah! That's a great trick, Alphamon! You can just switch bodies in order to get in and out of the elevators!" Nokia said. Kyoko then nodded and said: "So now that that problem has been circumvented, shall we continue? This elevator won't take us up very high… but we can still continue the rest of the way on foot." "Right! Let's move!" Arata said.

They then took the elevator and Kyoko returned to being Alphamon again before they explored through the floors… of course, there were more elevators and Alphamon had to switch between being herself and Kyoko several times, until they came up to another floor…

Alphamon, Nokia, Arata and Yuuko then stepped forward as Nokia said: "Well, we've come pretty far… you'd think Dynasmon would be around here…" Yuuko then turned to Alphamon and said: "Didn't you say Dynasmon could be waiting at a floor like this, Alphamon?" and Alphamon nodded before Arata said: "Yeah… it feels like the time has to be coming soon—" and then they heard a: "Yes—your inevitable demise has come!" as Dynasmon came around a corner!

"Dynasmon!" Yuuko said. Dynasmon ignored her as he stared at Alphamon and said: "And Alphamon… have you really given up on your fealty to King Drasil?" Alphamon then shook her head as she said: "I do not believe it is King Drasil's will to destroy Earth… especially after what I have found. I could explain it to you, Dynasmon, if you would be willing to listen—" and then Dynasmon said: "You can't fool me! I have no interest in listening to a Digimon that kisses up to humans! I won't betray my king—I will honor him in fealty and be a good knight by destroying you!" Arata then smirked and said: "Well aren't you open minded! Are you sure you're not just going around picking fights out of duty?" "Out of duty…? Now look here, King Drasil himself approved the plan to destroy Earth! Besides, I'm not listening to a human!" Dynasmon said.

Yuuko then looked at Arata and said: "We can't get through to him, Arata—he's too hard headed. We'll need to end this now." Arata then grinned and said: "Ha ha, I know! I was just poking some fun at him before we got started."

Alphamon then stepped forward and Nokia called out Omnimon, while Yuuko called out Machinedramon and Arata called out three Digimon—one had two legs and two arms, but it hunched forward and walked on its hands, making it look four-legged… it had greenish-tan skin and a blue shell around its torso (which was partially open on the sides) and massive blue-colored shoulder pads. It had a blue helmet on its head that covered everything except its mouth and eyes with horns sticking out of the helmet horizontally. It had dirty blond-colored hair and four maroon spikes on its back. Its hands and feet were also colored blue and its feet had three maroon toenails and its hands had five maroon claws. It looked 11 feet tall.

The other had a gigantic, cyan, fish-like lower body with three belts around it, but had a humanoid upper body with cyan and yellow torso armor (with dark blue and yellow chest armor) and shoulder armor. It wore a long-sleeved purple garment beneath its armor with spiky blue and yellow forearm armor that had red borders around the garment. It also had a dark blue fish-like helmet (with a horn and yellow spine-like spikes on the back)—the only part of its face you could see were its mouth and cheeks (and it had cyan cilia coming out of the sides). It also carried a dual-edged cyan spear with yellow ends that was taller than it was and looked 13'4 tall.

And the last one had the appearance of a young girl—she wore a yellow, scaly-looking bra and had nothing over her midriff. She wore black and red undershorts and a tan skirt that was slit in a 'v'-shape around the front. She had yellow and red shoes, bluish-gray shoulder pads with red sides, black sleeves around her arms and yellow gloves like snake heads that her hands came out of. She had a yellow, scaly snake-shaped helmet on with blue eyes painted on (although her real eyes were covered by it) and white wings coming out of the sides. She had a black necklace around her neck, waist length light blue hair in two braids (some was also bound in the front and it went down to her chest) and she held an enormous sword that looked taller, wider and perhaps even heavier than she was! Yet somehow, she could hold it over her head comfortably. She looked shorter than Arata at 5'2 tall.

After Arata called his Digimon out, Nokia said: "Whoa! You've been busy, Arata!" Arata then grinned and said: "Thanks, but you should keep your eyes on your enemy, Nokia!" "Well said! Now let's begin! Blade of the dragon king!" Alphamon said before she conjured her sword and slashed at Dynasmon. It didn't seem to do very much though… Dynasmon then said: "How unimpressive, Alphamon. It looks like you've lost it." He then went on: "Guard break field!" and cast a spell that reduced all of his opponents' damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and shocked Dynasmon with electricity—and Dynasmon took it hard! "Omnimon, use saint knuckle 3!" Nokia said. Omnimon then said: "Saint knuckle 3!" and he struck Dynasmon with a back fist from his arm with the head like WarGreymon's, although it didn't do much… Arata then said: "Diaboromon, attack charge field! Neptunemon, use critical charge on Minervamon! Minervamon, use guard break field on Dynasmon!" and the Digimon that looked four-legged said: "Attack charge field!" and cast a spell that strengthened everyone on his side's damage output with non-magic attacks. The Digimon that had a fish-like lower body then said: "Critical charge!" and cast a spell on the Digimon like a young girl to make it easier for her to identify Dynasmon's weak points. She then said: "Guard break field!" and cast the same spell at Dynasmon, reducing his damage resistance to non-magic attacks.

Yuuko then had Machinedramon attack with Nanomachine break 3 again. Nokia then said: "Omnimon, use supreme cannon!" and Omnimon said: "Supreme cannon!" and the end of the arm that had the head that looked like MetalGarurumon's mouth opened, revealing a small cannon! He then shot a cannonball at Dynasmon, which he didn't have too much trouble recovering from. Dynasmon then said: "Gale storm 3!" and caused a windstorm to attack his opponents. "Diaboromon, use destruction cannon 3! Neptunemon, get ready to block! Minervamon, give him a strike roll!" Arata said. Neptunemon then began to watch Dynasmon closely as Diaboromon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at Dynasmon. Minervamon then leapt into the air and said: "Strike roll!" and spun through the air before she slammed her sword down on Dynasmon, which he took really hard! Alphamon also ran in and said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and slashed at Dynasmon again.

Dynasmon then recovered and frowned as he said: "Grr! On your knees!" before he conjured a giant, phantasmal, purple-and-white dragon behind him and said: "Wyvern's breath!" and sent it flying at his opponents, although Neptunemon saw it coming and assumed a defensive stance before it hit—Omnimon and Alphamon took it the hardest. Dynasmon then said: "Ngh!" and recoiled after the attack ended. Yuuko then had Machinedramon use nanomachine break 3 again before Nokia had Omnimon use saint knuckle 3. Alphamon then said: "Power energy 3!" and caused an explosion of gray energy to envelop Dynasmon. "Neptunemon, boost Minervamon again! Critical charge! Minervamon, use strike roll! Diaboromon, use destruction cannon 3!" Arata said and Neptunemon said: "Critical charge!" and further improved Minervamon's ability to identify Dynasmon's weak points and reset the duration of the boost. Minervamon then leapt up again and said: "Strike roll!" and came down hard on Dynasmon before she ran back and Diaboromon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at Dynasmon.

Nokia then had Omnimon use saint knuckle 3 again and Alphamon used blade of the dragon king again. Dynasmon was starting to look worn down now and said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. "Diaboromon, boost everyone again with attack charge field! Minervamon, use guard break field! Neptunemon, get ready to block!" Arata said. His Digimon then did so as Yuuko had Machinedramon use nanomachine break 3 again.

Dynasmon then leapt at Omnimon as he said: "Dragon's roar!" and struck him with both of his hands! Omnimon then collapsed and Dynasmon looked a lot better as he flew back! "What? Omnimon?!" Nokia said before Omnimon said: "Argh… how embarrassing, losing here…" "Don't feel bad, Omnimon. Just leave the rest to the others!" Nokia said. She then called him back before Alphamon said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and attacked Dynasmon with it again. Yuuko then had Machinedramon use nanomachine break 3 again and Arata said: "Diaboromon, use destruction cannon 3! Neptunemon, ice archery 3! Minervamon, use strike roll!" and Diaboromon and Minervamon then did so before Neptunemon said: "Ice archery 3!" and conjured a giant icicle that he fired at Dynasmon! Dynasmon didn't take it too hard, though.

Dynasmon then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack again! "Neptunemon and Diaboromon, prepare to block! Minervamon, use strike roll!" Arata said. And his Digimon then did so before Yuuko had Machinedramon attack with nanomachine break 3. Alphamon then said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and attacked with it again.

Dynasmon then leapt at Alphamon and said: "Dragon's roar!" and swiped at her with his hands before Alphamon fell down! He then flew back as Alphamon said: "I should not have been so careless… I must leave the rest to you, Yuuko and Arata." Yuuko then had Machinedramon use nanomachine break 3 while Arata said: "Neptunemon, use critical charge on Minervamon! Minervamon, use guard break field again! Diaboromon, use attack charge field!" and they all did so.

Dynasmon then said: "Character reversal!" and flew at Machinedramon before he struck him with his hands and then flew back. Yuuko then shook her head and said: "How is he still going…? We should have taken him down by now…" and then Arata said: "Well given that he always looks better and can take a lot of damage after using a dragon's roar, it must steal the health of the target it hits—that may explain why he always uses it on vaccine Digimon too. So we should try to take him down, before he can do it again!" Yuuko then nodded and said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3!" and Arata said: "Neptunemon, get ready to block! Diaboromon, use catastrophe cannon! Minervamon, use strike roll!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and zapped Dynasmon… but this time, it didn't do much! "Huh?" Yuuko said before Dynasmon laughed and said: "You don't know what the bug status condition does, huh? You should study harder!" Diaboromon then said: "Catastrophe cannon!" and shot three massive fireballs from his chest at Dynasmon before Minervamon said: "Strike roll!" and leapt at Dynasmon and slammed her sword on him.

Dynasmon just barely managed to get up and then said: "Dragon's roar!" and struck at Machinedramon… and he wouldn't get up! Dynasmon then looked like he was feeling better as Yuuko said: "No… can we not do this without Simon?" and Dynasmon turned to Arata and said: "The fate of your friends rests on your shoulders, boy… if you can't stop me, you're history!" Arata then frowned and said: "I'm not going down in defeat now! I can do this… I'll destroy you without help if I have to!" and then he went on: "Minervamon, get rid of him! Use strike roll!" before Minervamon leapt at Dynasmon as she said: "Nighty-night, sweetie! Strike roll!" and she pulled off a big hit! Dynasmon then collapsed!

"Argh… so this is the end for me…" Dynasmon said before he went on: "But this is good. I have sacrificed myself for an honorable cause, so my life has served a greater purpose! And more so, I have weakened you all to the point where you cannot possibly defeat Leopardmon! Because of me, Leopardmon will power up and our goal will end in success! I don't need to fear death after what I have used my life for!" and then he began to fade away until he was gone…

"Whew! That was really close…!" Nokia said. And Yuuko said: "Yeah. Once Machinedramon went down, my heart was pounding the entire time… good work, Arata." But Arata didn't respond. He looked genuinely surprised. "Arata?" Yuuko asked. "I… I did it…" Arata said. "What?" Nokia asked. "I saved everyone! With my own strength! It was down to me and I succeeded!" Arata said. He then started laughing before he said: "Ahh… Simon was right. I want to thank him for showing me the right way to do things…" "What in the world are you talking about?" Nokia asked. Arata then shook his head and he went on: "Well I suppose that's a story for another time."

He then went on: "Well, that's another one down… that guy sure didn't go quietly did he?" "No, but… that was kind of sad…" Nokia said. "Nokia?" Yuuko asked. "He didn't seem so bad, just… misguided. Seeing how loyal and determined he was… I almost feel a little sorry for him." Nokia said. "I know what you mean, Nokia—some of these Royal Knights would have made great allies, if only they didn't have such closed minds…" Alphamon said. "But Dynasmon did kind of have a point about our Digimon… is there anything we can do?" Yuuko asked. "Well… there's one possibility—" Nokia began before Yuuko said: "Do you have an idea, Nokia?" "There's this one place Simon showed me that I've been going to lately where we can heal our Digimon. It's called the 'Digilab'… all we need is a terminal to access it—" Nokia began before Arata said: "Like this one here?" as he pointed to one on a wall, across the corner of an elevator up ahead. "Yeah! That works great! Good eyes, Arata!" Nokia said. She then went up to it and used it a little before she said: "Alright everyone, huddle up—we're going to be going in soon!" and Arata, Yuuko and Alphamon did so before they were warped away… and into the Digilab!

When they arrived, Mirei looked up and said: "Welcome back to the Digilab, Nokia. It looks like you've brought some friends along today?" "Hi Mirei! It's good to see you! Yup, we're in a real bind right now… could we use the terminal for healing our Digimon?" Nokia asked. "Of course you can. These are times where it pays to come prepared, after all!" Mirei said. "Thank you, Mirei!" Nokia said before she turned to Arata, Yuuko and Alphamon and said: "Alright, follow me!"

And she led them to a machine in the upper-left hand corner of the lab and said: "This can heal all of our Digimon up to perfect health—watch!" and then she called out Omnimon (who was down on his knees) and used it before Omnimon returned to a standing position and said: "Ah… that's better. Now I'm all ready for our big battle up ahead!" "Wow! That thing really works! Let me try…" Yuuko said before she used it and healed Machinedramon completely. Arata then followed in suit, and so did Alphamon. When they were all healed, Alphamon said: "Alright, now it looks like we're ready! Onward! For the good of our worlds!" and everyone nodded before they began to leave, and as they passed Mirei, Nokia said: "Thanks again, Mirei! With your help, we're all ready for a big battle!" "No need for thanks, Nokia; I'm always happy to help out a Digimon in need. Now go for it and good luck." Mirei said. Nokia, Yuuko, Arata and Alphamon all nodded before they left the Digilab. They then went back to exploring the building, looking for their way to the top.

(Meanwhile, back at the hall of heroes…)

I kept working with everyone to hack the lines. Everyone had finished hacking their line so far, except for Yasanori. I turned to him and said: "How's it going over there, Yasanori?" "I've almost got it. Wait a minute…" Yasanori said before a little time passed and he said: "There! The last line has been hacked and is ready!" I then grinned widely and said: "Yes! Good job, Yasanori! Now that you've redirected the line, all five of them are ready! When Leopardmon tries to tap into it, he'll regret it for sure!" I then turned to everyone and said: "Great job, everyone! You've done me proud and have all proven what heroes you are today! When our team sticks together, we can do anything!" and everyone cheered before I said: "And now that that's been finished, I'd say we're done here. Thanks guys—you're all a bunch of miracle workers!" We all then took off and logged out. After I did, I was back at the entrance to the Metropolitan Building again. I then hurried up to the lobby and checked the elevators. All of them had power to whatever floor they went to, so I took the one that went the highest—to the 40th floor. I then hurried forward—I knew I'd need to catch up!

(Meanwhile, on the 48th floor…)

Alphamon, Nokia, Yuuko and Arata had all been climbing the building too. Eventually, they stepped out of an elevator onto the 48th floor… and found it was a balcony on the side of the building! "Whoa! Looks like we're outside again…" Nokia said. "I guess it's no surprise; the 50th floor was the rooftop where Leopardmon is, so it makes sense that we'd be out of the office-like maze we were in before if we're this close." Yuuko said. "Right. He'll be coming up soon, so stay alert." Alphamon said. "Naturally. Now let's go." Arata said. They then headed out to the middle of the balcony, where they found an elevator! They took it up to the 49th floor, then they found another elevator in the middle of that floor!

"Looks like this is it… when we take this, we'll be going toe-to-toe with Leopardmon." Arata said. "Yeah… I hope Simon and the others managed to hack the lines…" Nokia said. "I know how you feel… of course, we haven't heard of any disasters yet, which is a good thing." Yuuko said. Alphamon then assumed Kyoko's form again before she said: "Why the long faces? Would Simon want to see you so worried?" Everyone then laughed before she went on: "So once we get through here, a battle will be on the other side. Now let's go!" and Arata, Yuuko and Nokia nodded before they all got in the elevator and took it up to the rooftop—the 50th floor.

When they all arrived and left the elevator, Kyoko assumed Alphamon's form before they took a staircase up to the rooftop and saw… a magic circle on the ground and Leopardmon preparing to kneel in the center! "Well, well! Look at what we have here! Looks like it's Leopardmon up to some trickery." Arata said. Leopardmon then immediately turned his head to them before he stood and said: "You…! Get out of here! I don't take kindly to interruptions, especially now!" Alphamon then stepped forward and said: "Hmph. You're just as rash as ever, Leopardmon…" and then Leopardmon frowned and said: "And Alphamon… I didn't expect to see you fighting with the humans. Those revolting…!" and then Alphamon said: "Leopardmon… can you even articulate to me what it is that makes you hate humans so much?"

Leopardmon then paused before he laughed arrogantly and said: "Don't play dumb! The Eaters in their cyberspace! They let them come into our world and ruin it! They wrecked our homes and devastated our neighbors! They need to be punished!" "If that is what you hate about humanity… then you needn't hate them anymore." Alphamon said back. "What…?" Leopardmon said before Alphamon went on: "Eaters don't come from Earth. They come from a dimension that is next to it."

"What…? You're saying those foul creatures aren't coming from Earth, but instead are jumping across dimensions and cyberspaces to get to our world…?" Leopardmon asked. "Yes." Alphamon said back. "…Supposing I believe you for a minute, how is it that this could escape King Drasil's notice?" Leopardmon asked.

"It's understandable how no one living in our world knew… even though our world, Earth and the Eaters' world are basically lined up with each other, King Drasil's ability to detect dimensions can only detect adjacent dimensions to us—which is why he never knew. I have exceptional processing power for a Digimon… not up to par with King Drasil's, but it was enough for me to learn this when I came to this world… in the Digital World, it is only natural that I wouldn't know what I know now at the time… I was too far from the Eaters' world. But when I came closer to them—to here—I eventually noticed the channels they were coming through. They were taking advantage of cracks in their side of Earth's dimensional barrier to slip through and come here—just as we did. The blame for Eaters coming into our world does not lie with humanity; it lies with the Eaters themselves." Alphamon answered.

She then went on: "So do you see now? Your choice to conduct human genocide was nothing more than a farce, leaving your hands stained with innocent blood because you acted too fast." Leopardmon then frowned as he said: "Hmph. So if destroying humankind would serve no purpose, what can we do to stop the menace of the Eaters?" "We must unite and destroy the Eaters at their home base—only attacking the problem at its source will fix it." Alphamon said.

Leopardmon then paused and said: "…This theory—though in some ways downright crazy—is also logical enough…" he then went on: "Hmph. Very well. I'll give you one chance: let us go back to King Drasil. If he accepts your explanation—"

(Meanwhile, at the 50th floor elevator…)

I then stepped out of the Elevator and saw where I was: the rooftop! I had made it! I then hurried ahead and took a staircase up to the rooftop where I saw… Leopardmon, Alphamon, Arata, Yuuko and Nokia! It looked like I had made it in time, more or less! I then ran ahead (and it seems they noticed me, because they all turned to me) and I said: "Guys!" and soon arrived. When I was in close range of them all, I said: "I'm glad to see I made it on time—" and then Alphamon said: "Simon, before you do anything else, there's something you should know…"

And then she proceeded to tell me that the Eaters were actually from another world and that she and Leopardmon were just about to make a deal. I then turned to Leopardmon and he said: "Hmph. Well as long as everyone's here, I'll continue…" and then he turned to Alphamon and said: "We'll go back to King Drasil together, where I'll let you tell him your story. If he accepts your explanation, I will apologize and accept you as my comrade once again, and I will also agree to support your war on the Eaters. But if he does not accept your explanation… I will cut you down where you stand. Do we have a deal?" "Yes." Alphamon said back. "What?! Alphamon?!" I said. Alphamon then turned to me and said: "Don't worry, Simon—I know what I'm doing. Trust in my judgement." I then sighed and Leopardmon said: "Very well. Then instead of using this magic circle to open the lines Crusadermon used, I will use its power to open a path to the Digital World."

And then the magic circle began to glow before it projected a massive beam up into the sky! A hole then opened up in it and Leopardmon turned to Alphamon and said: "We leave now, Alphamon." "Very well!" Alphamon said. They then leapt up into the sky and ascended higher and higher until they entered the hole…

I knew Alphamon was very quick-witted, but I couldn't help worrying about her… I then looked down before I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I immediately looked up and saw it was Arata. He then said: "Hey… you were right all along. Thanks for showing me the right way to protect everyone." I smiled and said: "Anytime. So it sounds like you saved everyone when the going got tough?" "Ahaha! Yup! When we fought Dynasmon, he defeated everyone else's Digimon and it was down to me… and I took him down!" Arata said. I smiled and said: "Excellent work, Arata. I knew you could do it."

He smiled back and then I heard Nokia say: "I'm glad this all worked out! Although it looks like we didn't need to hack the lines after all…" "Yeah… it's too bad, because the others worked so hard… but I know they're proud of their work anyway, so it's okay." I said back. Nokia and I then smiled and I heard Yuuko say: "So what do we do now that Alphamon's gone?" "Well we can't do anything more without her… we're going to have to wait." I said back.

We then caught up to each other for a little bit. I was anticipating this was going to take some time… however, it felt like only five minutes later that Alphamon and Leopardmon came back down from the hole in the sky! "Wow, that seemed awfully fast…" Arata said. "Yeah… a little too fast. Did something happen?" Yuuko asked. "…I suppose that's likely." I said back.

Alphamon and Leopardmon then landed before us and I said: "Alphamon? I thought you were going to see King Drasil?" "We were going to. But there is a rather serious problem…" Alphamon began and then Omnimon said: "What…? Like what?!" "Eaters have taken over the path to King Drasil's domain en masse. There's no way to reach him safely…" Leopardmon said. "How many did you see in the way?" Omnimon asked. "There weren't that many from where we arrived, but as we got closer, their numbers started to increase exponentially… we can't even get to King Drasil to discuss what to do about the Eaters with all of them in the way, so we need to clear a path first. We're going to need a plan—" Alphamon began and then we heard a: "Well, well! What a gathering we have here on a rooftop!"

That voice… it was Suedou's voice! We all then turned around and saw him approaching! Arata then crossed his arms as he said: "What are you doing here, you blood-sucking parasite?" Suedou then looked at Arata and said: "And how are we today, Arata?" Arata frowned and he didn't say anything before Suedou finally answered: "I was investigating the recent opening of a path into the Digital World… holes don't just open readily into the sky, you know." Leopardmon then shook his head before he said: "Look human, we have important business to attend to with some Eaters in our world. If you're not here to stop them, then leave!" "Oh? Eaters you say? Tell me everything." Suedou said.

Nokia, Arata, Yuuko and I said nothing, but unfortunately, Alphamon said: "They have blocked the path we need to cross in order to communicate with someone we need to speak with—King Drasil." "King Drasil? The host computer that created the Digital World?" Suedou asked. "That's correct, but… how do you know that?" Omnimon asked. "I have been conducting research into the Eaters myself—" Suedou began, and then Leopardmon said: "…And how does that explain how you know who King Drasil is?" "Because I have learned that the Eaters have a single leader who is responsible for regulating their activities… you could call it a 'Mother Eater'. But to get back on track, this Mother Eater has assimilated King Drasil, so that's how I know about it." Suedou said. "N-no! It can't be!" Omnimon said before even Alphamon looked discouraged and said: "King Drasil… has been assimilated by an Eater? This is an utter catastrophe… but that would explain why they've been sticking around the Digital World…"

"Exactly." Suedou said. "So what can we do? We can't let our world be consumed by them!" Omnimon said. "The first step would be returning the Eaters on Earth to the Digital World—" Suedou began before Leopardmon drew his rapier and pointed it at Suedou (and Omnimon invaded Suedou's personal space) as Omnimon said: "What?! No! You can't be serious! That would only worsen the situation as it exists!" and Leopardmon said: "Blasphemy! How could you suggest something so ruinous?! How could we freely allow those horrible beasts entry into the Digital World?! They'd devastate everything they could find!" "Hmph. It does sound like the kind of thing Suedou would say…" I said and Arata nodded.

Suedou then shook his head and said: "Be patient before you jump to conclusions, please. While the Mother Eater has done considerable damage to King Drasil, that also includes his security system—King Drasil's security system has been completely bugged by it. Now it sees anything other than Eaters as enemies and that naturally means that we would be detected in an instant and the Mother Eater would send reinforcements to stop us through King Drasil. However, if we were to reintroduce the Eaters into the Digital World and—consequentially—en route to where we were going… then it would be like looking for needles in a haystack; we'd be surrounded by so many Eaters that the security system couldn't detect us through the droves of Eaters and we could sneak up to the Mother Eater unopposed."

We all then turned to each other and Arata said: "What do you think? Should we risk it?" "It is a risk… but then, attacking head on—even if we had an army—would be even riskier. More so, once we could get to King Drasil, all we'd need to do is defeat this Mother Eater and then he'd be free—and with his power, he could banish them all in an instant. It may be a necessary measure for now." Alphamon said. "Splendid! Then allow me to recall the Eaters!" Suedou said. He then approached the beam and pulled up a screen of data before he started typing on it and we waited for a minute before we saw Eaters get sucked in by the hundreds!

Once they were all in there, Omnimon, Alphamon and Leopardmon sighed before Suedou approached and said: "I'll be going in to provide you with guidance when you get there. See you there!" "Hey! Hold on!" Arata said, but Suedou then stepped into the beam and vanished! "Tch… that's just his style." I said. "Perhaps, but we'll need to be ready before we go in!" Yuuko said. "You're right… here everyone, call out your Digimon." I said. They all did so (and I did the same) before I turned to Daisy and said: "Daisy, heal everyone up! Final aura!" and Daisy said: "Final aura!" and healed everyone back to perfect health. "Excellent work. Thank you, Daisy." I said as I called her back, along with the others (and so did everyone else) and then I turned to the others and said: "So what do you think… are you ready to save the Digital World?"

"Of course! Our Digimon friends saved Earth, so it's only time to return the favor!" Nokia said. "Yeah, there's no time like the present—especially since Suedou's gone in there first. We'll need to catch him sooner, rather than later." Arata said. "I feel ready too. Besides, we're a team! We can do this!" Yuuko said. "As a Royal Knight, I have a duty to defend my world, so I absolutely will!" Omnimon said. "Right. Besides, I'm not going to get to talk to King Drasil by staying here." Alphamon said. "And every second we spend here is time we're letting the Eaters ravage our friends! I won't let them do as they please!" Leopardmon said.

I then smiled and said: "I agree!" before I turned to the beam and said: "So can we even prove that entering this beam is safe? Particularly after what Suedou did?" "Oh yeah… good point…" Nokia said. Alphamon then approached it and said: "I can sense it… it still works. Suedou hasn't done anything to tamper with it. All that's left to do is enter it." "Alright then! Here goes nothing!" I said as I ran into it. It only felt like a second later that I was launched up into the sky at unfathomable speed! I then looked over my shoulder and saw everyone else coming up too! As they got closer, I heard Nokia say: "Woo! We're flying!" and I laughed as we climbed closer to the hole in the sky… to the entrance to the Digital World.


	55. Keisuke: Forever feral

Keisuke Chapter 26—Forever feral—

We then kept working, waiting for Ryuji and Yuri's recovery. This went on until ten days later, when it was announced that Ryuji and Yuri had finally fully recovered and Erika had recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital! Chitose, Yu, Erika, Wormmon and I then all went to visit Ryuji and Yuri! When we arrived, we saw them standing before us and we approached them as Chitose said: "Heh-heh! It's good to see you both looking well, Ryuji and Yuri!" "Yeah, I'd say so! I've had enough of waiting to recover!" Yuri said. We all then laughed together before Erika said: "I'm happy to see you're okay too. Now at last, after all these days, Hudie is back together! "Yup. And that includes our newbie too, of course." I said as I lightly slapped Yu's shoulder and he chuckled.

Ryuji smiled and said: "Well now that we're all ready, I'd say the time to get rid of Arcadiamon has come, wouldn't you?" and we all cheered before Ryuji grinned and said: "Good answer. That being said, all we need to do is determine his location. Yu, Yuri and Keisuke—we'll all look around and get information from eye witness accounts. Chitose, Erika, you both look for information on the net—" but then Erika said: "That won't be necessary. I've already figured out where he is. He's hiding in Odaiba Bay." "HUH?" We all said. There was a moment of silence before I turned to Erika and said: "How do you know that…?" "I can show you. Come to my hospital room." Erika said. She then took off… we all looked at each other, puzzled, before we followed her.

When we all arrived in the hospital room, Ryuji closed the door before he said: "Okay, we're all here… so what's the big secret?" "These guys…" Erika said. She then called out… three Eaters that looked like eyeballs! "Eaters?!" Wormmon said. "Yup. They're Eaters I captured, reprogrammed and domesticated." Erika said. "You… you domesticated an Eater?! Is that even possible?!" I asked.

"They haven't caused any trouble yet. Don't worry—they're on our side." Erika said. We all looked uncomfortable as Erika went on: "But back to the point—I dispatched them into Tokyo and figured out where Arcadiamon is with their help." Erika then finally called those Eaters back before she went on: "But we don't know how long Arcadiamon will stay there, so we should strike while the iron's still hot!" Ryuji then smiled and said: "Well said, Erika. I'm glad I can count on my sister to take charge." Erika then smiled at him and Ryuji then turned to us before he said: "Now let's go everyone—we'll end Arcadiamon's rampage today!" and we all cheered again before we left for Odaiba.

When we arrived in the streets of Odaiba, the area had taken serious damage—overpasses and buildings had been wrecked and flaming wreckage was everywhere! "Ugh… this city's taken a pounding… it's even worse than Ikebukuro…" Chitose said. "Yeah… well, at least Arcadiamon won't be a part of that anymore…" Yu said. "Right! Alright everyone—call out your Digimon!" Ryuji said. I then called out Slayerdramon, Plesiomon and Ciel, while Yu called out a Phantomon and two Digimon I had never seen… one was a tiny Digimon with a pale pink body. It had a ghost-like lower body, two wings, two arms, two ribbon-like ears, a ring around its neck and a heart on its chest. It looked about 1 foot tall. The other looked like a giant panda bear with a red scarf. It looked 6'2 tall. Chitose called out an entirely new Digimon—it floated over the ground and was relatively humanoid. It was made entirely of silver metal, although it had gold rings around its ankles, thighs, wrists and neck. It had a silver-and-gold metal kilt with a sun on the front. It had a blue gem in the middle of its chest and red gems in each shoulder. It also had white wings and a gold talisman on the top of its head. It had red rings around its eyes (which were basically yellowish-white horizontal lines) and looked 6'7 tall.

He also called out a giant blue whale Digimon with a brown shell on its back… it looked 10 feet tall. The other Digimon he had was like a gryphon and walked on four legs. It had a white body with black talons on its feet and two sets of lavender stripes on its front legs and one set of lavender stripes on its back legs—it also had two sets of lavender stripes on its waist. It had feathery white wings, a white horse-like tail, a head like an eagle's with flappy, white ears and a belt-like collar with a yellow and brown charm attached to it. It had green eyes and looked 4'6 tall.

Yuri called out her Digimon, which were different now too! One was an amazingly tall woman that had two legs, but floated over the ground. She wore a full body suit that was white on the left side (with baby blue-colored crystals on her elbow, bicep, knee and her foot and heel, making it look like a high heel—she also had a baby blue-colored gem on her hip and neck and a baby blue-colored glove) and it was black on the right side with pink crystals, gems and a glove in the same respective places. She had a helmet on her head that covered her eyes and was white on the left side (with a white, feathery wing on it) and black on the right side (with a black, leathery wing on it). She also had a black tasset with four white coattails hanging off each diagonal corner—the ones on the left had baby blue-colored ends and the ones on the right had pink-colored ends. She had six feathery, white wings on her left and six leathery, black demon wings on her right, although they were not actually attached to her back, but instead were coming out of a gray, floating device that was behind her… she had a blonde ponytail that went down to her feet and looked 7'2 tall.

The next was a humanoid Digimon that had a white flower growing out of her head and over her eyes… she wore black tights and black high heels, a white backless garment over her torso that had an arrow-like pattern under her chest that showed some of her midriff, long white gloves and black thorns wrapped around her arms that ended in thorny whips she was holding. She had a pink cape bound around her back with a pale pink ball-like charm pinned to her cape over her neck (and seven more were floating around her) and light brown hair that went a little beneath her waist and that was tied at waist level. She looked 5'7 tall. The last Digimon looked like a very impressive T-rex with a rust-brown body with silver knees, a silver underbelly with two aquamarine-colored nodes in the center, silver arms (except the wrists), silver jaws and a silver nose tusk and silver spikes down its tail with a silver tip. It had yellow shoulders, a jetpack attached to its back and a giant rectangular cannon mounted on its back that was rather thin. It looked 12'8 tall. And of course, Erika still had Wormmon.

When I saw Yu, Chitose and Yuri's Digimon, I said: "Wow! You've been busy, Yu, Chitose and Yuri!" Yu smiled and said: "Heh-heh! Yeah, I've been keeping sharp for this day with Phantomon…" as he pointed to him and then said: "MarineAngemon…" as he pointed to the tiny, floating pale pink Digimon and then he went on: "…And Pandamon! I'm ready!" as he pointed to the panda Digimon. Chitose then said: "Thanks! Yeah, I actually DNA digivolved my old Ankylomon together with Yuri's Angemon to get my Shakkoumon—" and then the floating silver, humanoid Digimon chuckled before he went on: "And I also trained up Whamon—and I'm sure you can guess who that is—and HippoGryphonmon, who is the gryphon-like Digimon." Yuri then laughed and said: "So you DNA digivolved my old Angemon, eh? Well you're not the only one who's been doing that—I DNA digivolved my Angewomon and LadyDevimon into Mastemon here—" as she pointed to the giant woman in the full-body suit and went on: "…And I digivolved Lillymon into Rosemon Burst Mode…" As she pointed to the Digimon with the white flower growing out of her head and went on: "…And I digivolved MetalTyrannomon into RustTyrannomon!" as she pointed to the mechanical dinosaur Digimon.

But then we heard Ryuji say: "What…? What's going on?!" We all then turned to him and saw he had two Digimon out. One looked like a tall four-legged dragon—it had green scales and a tan underbelly with red horns, red spines down its back, a red nose tusk (as well as two red upside-down crests on its chin…), a silver mace ball tail and pistons coming out of its elbows and back legs… it also had two giant green scaly arms on its back with hands that had tan undersides and three red claws on each. It looked 5'3 tall. And the other was a DoruGreymon.

Erika said: "What is it, Ryuji?" "I don't understand this… I called out Groundramon and DoruGreymon just fine, but… I can't find Cyberdramon! It's like he's disappeared from my phone!" Ryuji said. "What?" I asked. "A Digimon being spontaneously deleted from a device? I've never heard of such a thing…" Chitose said. "Neither have I…" Yuri said. "Yeah… I wish I knew where he was… he was my first Digimon… I hope I can find him sometime soon after this is over…" Ryuji said.

"…I'm sorry Ryuji. But remember why we came here: to hunt down Arcadiamon. We don't know how long he's going to stay in Odaiba, so we need to act now. Until this is over, try not to dwell on it too much, okay?" Erika asked. "…Yeah." Ryuji said before he went on: "It'll be harder to fight without him, but I'll do my best with what I have for now." Ryuji then turned to Erika and said: "Erika, did the Eaters tell you where in Odaiba Arcadiamon was?" Erika nodded before Ryuji said: "Then you lead the way. We'll back you up." Erika then went off and we all followed her.

Erika then led us to a bridge that was amazingly long and was above the bay. When we arrived, she stopped in about the middle of the bridge and then Yu said: "Is this where the Eaters you domesticated said Arcadiamon would be, Erika?" Erika then nodded as she said: "That's right. He has to be around here somewhere. Stay alert!" "Um… I don't see him anywhere, do you?" Chitose asked. "That's probably the idea on his part—" I began, but then we heard a weird, resounding noise!

"What was _THAT_?! A foghorn?" Yu asked. "No… it didn't sound quite right—" Yuri began, but then something gigantic emerged from the water! It was really ugly and (remarkably) had no arms or legs! Instead it had a gigantic, half-circular lower body with purple, fuzzy-looking tentacles at the bottom that were covered by a blue, skirt-like shell. Its midsection was more of those purple tentacles connected to blue, shell-like chest armor that was connected to blue, shell-like shoulder armor that had purple tentacles under it. It had purple tentacles for a neck, a blue head with slits for eyes, two giant purple antennae and two giant blue wings. It looked as tall as the bridge itself!

It then floated up to the bridge and then we all backed up before Yuri said: "Erika… is that… Arcadiamon?" and Erika nodded before Wormmon yelled: "Dyaaaaah! He's huge! How are we supposed to fight a Digimon like that?!" "The only way we can—one step at a time!" I answered back. "Right! There's no way we can just surrender! That's not what we're here to do!" Ryuji said. He then turned to all of us and said: "Everyone, attack!"

But then Erika said: "HOLD ON!" and we all turned to her to see she had a screen of data up and was using her whale-like keyboard to type on it. "Erika?" Chitose asked. "Something's really wrong… its defenses are off the charts! It's modified them somehow!" Erika said. "Huh? So what can we do about it then?" Yu asked. "Hang on! I have an idea!" Erika said. She then called out the Eaters she had domesticated and pointed to Arcadiamon as she said to them: "There's your target! Cut his defenses down to size!" and the Eaters then flew at Arcadiamon and shot lasers at him until they caused an explosion!

Erika then said: "Okay, now! Wipe him out!" Arcadiamon then spoke in a deep, booming voice as he said: "How could you… you traitors…" "What…?" Ryuji said before Arcadiamon lifted his head and said: "GRAAAH! I'll destroy you all!" "This is it! Let's finish him for good!" Ryuji said. "Um… before this starts, does anyone mind if I sit this one out? I doubt I'd be of much use…" Wormmon said. "I think that's fair. Besides after what's happened in the past…" I said and Erika nodded and said: "I agree… I don't want to push Wormmon too hard again." "I understand. Go on and get behind the action then, Erika and Wormmon." Ryuji said. They then got behind us.

I then felt my phone vibrate and it said: "Arcadiamon (ultra) scan data: ERROR." It did say Arcadiamon was a virus Digimon though, so I called back Plesiomon and Ciel and called in Ouryumon and Angewomon.

Yuri then said: "Mastemon, use chaos degradation!" and Mastemon then spun up as she flew up and said: "Chaos degradation!" and in one of her hands a white light emerged, and in her other hand a black light emerged. Mastemon then brought them together and the result was not a gray light, but instead a small swirling ball that looked more like a tiny black hole… Mastemon then sent it at Arcadiamon and when it made contact with him, it swirled into a giant black hole that hurt him before it disappeared—it looked like it worked great, too! Yuri then went on: "Rosemon, use safety guard on Mastemon! RustTyrannomon, use terror cluster!" and Rosemon said: "Safety guard!" and made a blue barrier appear in front of Mastemon that worked once per casting to stop her from being defeated when she otherwise would be and leave her intact with almost no health instead. RustTyrannomon then said: "Terror cluster!" and got down on all fours as he leaned forward and fired lasers out of the cannon on his back at Arcadiamon!

Chitose then said: "Shakkoumon, use mental charge field! Whamon, hit him with hydro water 3! HippoGryphonmon, use burst flame 3!" and Shakkoumon then said: "Mental charge field!" and boosted all of our Digimons' damage output with magic attacks, as well as their damage resistance to magic attacks. Whamon then said: "Hydro water 3!" and sprayed Arcadiamon forcefully with water before HippoGryphonmon said: "Burst flame 3!" and caused a fiery explosion to burn Arcadiamon (although it didn't look like it did much…).

Yu then said: "MarineAngemon, use hydro water 3 on Arcadiamon! Phantomon, use soul chopper! Pandamon, use comet hammer 3!" and MarineAngemon said: "Hydro water 3!" before she sprayed Arcadiamon with a forceful stream of water. Phantomon then said: "Soul chopper!" and flew at Arcadiamon before he got behind him and slashed at him with his sickle. Phantomon then flew back as Pandamon said: "Comet hammer 3!" and caused rocks to come falling down on Arcadiamon from above! They didn't seem to do much of anything, though…

Ryuji then said: "Groundramon, use comet hammer 3! DoruGreymon, use metal meteor!" and Groundramon said: "Comet hammer 3!" and caused rocks to fall on Arcadiamon. DoruGreymon then said: "Metal meteor!" and he flew up high before he conjured a meteor-like rock and sent it flying down at Arcadiamon! It hit him, but it didn't do much good…

I then said: "Ouryumon and Slayerdramon, use attack charge field! Angewomon, use holy light 3!" Ouryumon then said: "Attack charge field!" and Slayerdramon did the same thing before they boosted all of our Digimons' damage output with non-magic attacks. Angewomon then said: "Holy light 3!" and caused a shining, exploding cross of light to form where Arcadiamon was! He took it a little hard, too! Arcadiamon then said: "Hell crusher 3!" and purplish-pink wisps then spun around all of our Digimon and hurt them!

Chitose then said: "Shakkoumon, use holy light 3! Whamon, follow up with hydro water 3! HippoGryphonmon, get ready to block!" and HippoGryphonmon then started watching Arcadiamon closely before Shakkoumon said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Arcadiamon was! Whamon then said: "Hydro water 3!" and splashed Arcadiamon with a forceful stream of water.

Yu then said: "Attack again, everyone! Same as last time!" and Yu's Digimon all attacked as they had before. Ryuji then said: "Groundramon, DoruGreymon, hit him again! Use the same attacks!" And his Digimon attacked as they had previously done and Yuri said: "Mastemon, use holy light 3 on Arcadiamon! Rosemon, use safety guard on Angewomon! RustTyrannomon, give him another terror cluster!" and Mastemon said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked Arcadiamon with a shining, exploding cross of light. Rosemon then said: "Safety guard!" and made a blue barrier appear in front of Angewomon. Angewomon then said: "Thank you!" before RustTyrannomon said: "Terror cluster!" and got down and fired lasers at Arcadiamon again! "Alright, Slayerdramon, Ouryumon! Give him all you've got! Divine dragon slash and Eiseiryuoujin! Angewomon, use holy light 3!" I said and Slayerdramon then said: "Divine dragon slash!" and he leapt up at Arcadiamon and spun down before he slammed his sword down on him! Slayerdramon then leapt off as Ouryumon flew in and said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and slashed at Arcadiamon with his cutlasses! Angewomon then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Arcadiamon was!

Arcadiamon then said: "Heh-heh-heh… I see your Digimon are good at throwing attacks… but you'd best be careful; now you're going to get a taste of my true power!" and he rose up into the sky as he looked diagonally down at us and said: "God matrix!" and caused a giant, cyan dome to engulf the bridge! The light was so bright that we had to shield our eyes, although we heard the screams of our Digimon… when the light was gone, we looked up… and saw most of our Digimon had been defeated! The only ones who could still stand were Mastemon, RustTyrannomon, Whamon, Ouryumon, Slayerdramon and Angewomon!

"What the hell?! He… he wiped _that_ many out?!" Ryuji said. "Heh-heh-heh!" Arcadiamon said. "I'll admit that level of power is pretty scary… but it's just like you said, Ryuji: there's no way we can just surrender!" Yuri said. "Right!" Chitose said. Yuri then said: "Mastemon, use X-aura! Get everyone back into fighting shape! RustTyrannomon, use guard charge field!" Mastemon then said: "X-aura!" and healed everyone by a lot! RustTyrannomon then said: "Guard charge field!" and boosted everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks. "Whamon, use hydro water 3!" Chitose said. Whamon then attacked Arcadiamon with it and I said: "Slayerdramon, Ouryumon, attack again! Divine dragon slash and Eiseiryuoujin! Angewomon, top everyone's health off! Aura!" and Slayerdramon and Ouryumon attacked again before Angewomon said: "Aura!" and healed everyone back to full health! Arcadiamon then said: "Attack charge!" and boosted his damage output with non-magic attacks!

Yuri then said: "Mastemon, use holy light 3 again! RustTyrannomon, use guard charge field!" and Mastemon attacked with holy light 3 while RustTyrannomon boosted everyone again. "Whamon, hit him with hydro water 3!" Chitose said. Whamon then did so and I said: "Slayerdramon, Ouryumon, pump everyone up with attack charge field again! Angewomon, use celestial arrow on Arcadiamon!" and Slayerdramon and Ouryumon boosted everyone while Angewomon said: "Celestial arrow!" and conjured a white bow on her right arm's glove and shot a shining arrow of light from it at Arcadiamon! When it hit him, he flinched and then recovered before he said: "Daaah! You meddling wench! How dare you!" "What did he get so mad about…?" Yu asked before I grinned and said: "Angewomon's celestial arrow got rid of his boost. That way he can't boost to get any stronger." "Well as long as you're all going to be as cheeky as you can be, I'll have to give you a taste of well-deserved pain! God matrix!" Arcadiamon said before he attacked with it again… but he didn't knock anyone out this time—everyone was still okay after the attack!

"Mastemon, heal everyone, quick! X-aura!" Yuri said. And then I said: "Angewomon, you too! Use aura!" And they completely healed everyone again! I then went on: "Slayerdramon, Ouryumon, get him back! Use divine dragon slash and Eiseiryuoujin!" and they hit Arcadiamon hard with them again! "Whamon, use hydro water 3!" Chitose said. Whamon then attacked with it and Yuri then said: "RustTyrannomon, time to strike back! Use terror cluster!" and he did so. Arcadiamon then said: "God matrix!" and blasted everyone with the attack again, but everybody still recovered without any knockouts!

"It can't be… is my power not enough to break through this stalemate?!" Arcadiamon asked. "Who said anything about a stalemate? We're breaking down your health more and more every time we attack—it's just you who can't do anything that we can't mend." I said. "Grr… you little smart aleck…" Arcadiamon said. Yuri then said: "Mastemon, keep everyone healthy! Use X-aura! RustTyrannomon, use guard charge field!" and Mastemon healed everyone while RustTyrannomon made them tougher. "Whamon, keep the pressure up! Use hydro water 3!" Chitose said before Whamon attacked him with it. "Angewomon, use aura! Slayerdramon and Ouryumon, attack with divine dragon slash and Eiseiryuoujin again!" I said and Angewomon healed everyone while Slayerdramon and Ouryumon struck Arcadiamon hard again. Arcadiamon wasn't surrendering, but what I said ended up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy—we kept wearing him down until eventually he was starting to wobble in place and breathe harder!

Finally, after we landed another attack, he said: "Graaah! No… defeat at the hands of such fools… I could not have met a more humiliating end…" and then we all started to cheer, but our enthusiasm quickly vanished at what happened next: Arcadiamon was starting to fall, but he was falling forward, towards the bridge!

"Oh my god…! This is really, really bad!" Yu said. "Shit… he's going to crush us!" I said. Ryuji then turned to Erika and hugged her before he said: "Erika… I'm so sorry this is how it all has to end…" and Erika said: "Don't be sorry, Ryuji… I'm sorry you won't live to accomplish all the amazing things you would have, if only—"

But then something weird happened: Arcadiamon turned completely white and began to shrink! He even was changing in shape as he did! Chitose then pointed and said: "Look! He's transforming!" "So he's shrinking? What's happening?" I asked. Arcadiamon then kept shrinking and shrinking until he assumed a shape that we actually recognized: it was a Cyberdramon! The color then returned to its body as it eventually landed face-first on the bridge!

We all were stunned when we saw this… finally, Chitose said: "Could that be…?" and Ryuji shook his head as he said: "No… no way…" the Cyberdramon then stood and Ryuji ran up to it as he said: "Do you know who I am?!" the Cyberdramon then looked at Ryuji and said: "Ah… Ryuji. I was hoping I wouldn't have to face you so soon…" "What are you talking about?! You weren't Arcadiamon all this time… were you?" Ryuji asked.

"In a way, I was. But I didn't have any control over what I did…" Cyberdramon said. "Cyberdramon… tell me everything that happened." Ryuji said. "…After you developed EDEN Syndrome in Under Zero, I stayed out of your phone and went to the data core there… I was hoping that I'd find something that could cure you, since that's where every last file Kamishiro has is stored. But it wasn't information I found in there… it was Arcadiamon." Cyberdramon said. "WHAT? What do you mean?" Yu asked.

"He leapt at me as soon as he saw me and entered my body, effectively making me his host—he remade my flesh into a digivolved version of himself and gained complete control of my memories, actions and words…" Cyberdramon said before I said: "…And that's how he knew me in Shibuya…" and Cyberdramon said: "Exactly. From that moment on, all I could do was watch him use me to kill so many poor Digimon… it was like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. But now you've finally freed me and I'm back to my old self. Thank you so much for that, everyone… I can't even tell you how much that means to me."

Ryuji then smiled and said: "I'm glad to have you back, Cyberdramon." Cyberdramon then looked up and said: "Really…? I thought you'd hate me after what happened—" and then Ryuji frowned and irritably said: "Of course not! Who put that idea in your head?!" "Eh…?" Cyberdramon said before Ryuji went on: "Cyberdramon… you have to remember that it wasn't you doing those things… it was Arcadiamon. You can't blame yourself for being under his control… but more importantly, I don't hate you and I never will. You're my partner and I still want you to come back to me so I can keep having adventures with you." "Ryuji…" Cyberdramon said.

"Another thing I should mention is what happened when Ryuji tried to call you out when we came here. You should have seen how worried he was when he saw you weren't in his phone! It was clear to me that he almost wanted to put the mission on hold so he could search for you." I said. Ryuji then grinned and said: "You know me too well." And we all laughed together again. Cyberdramon then said: "Ryuji… thank you."

And then there was a flash of light! When we could see again, a different Digimon was standing where Cyberdramon was! He had a superhero-like appearance and wore a blue full-body suit with metal torso armor, a silver shoulder pad on his right shoulder, a silver belt with a red belt buckle and silver streaks down his legs with metal kneepads and metal shoes. His left arm was made of metal and was massive and his right arm was smaller, but still bulky. He had a red cape bound around his neck and a metal helmet that covered his eyes that had v-shaped lines that were on their sides around his ears. He looked 5'8 tall.

Ryuji finally said: "Cyberdramon… you digivolved?!" "Yes! Yes, I did! And it's Justimon now!" Ryuji's Digimon said. Ryuji then smiled and said: "Congratulations. You look stronger than ever too—I don't think I could arm wrestle with you now!" And we all laughed together. Ryuji then said: "Well that's it for now. Come on—let's go back!"

We all then smiled and turned around to go back to Central Hospital. We kept going… until we heard Erika gasp. We all then turned around… only to find the Eaters she had used against Arcadiamon before blocking her path! And there were more of them too! "Whaaat are they doing…?" Yu asked. The Eaters then all swarmed Erika—some of them even latched onto her head! Then there was then a flash of light! When we could see again, most of the Eaters had combined so they now formed a giant, gray hive over Erika's head that covered her eyes… it had two tentacles on its sides above to Erika's ears too!

"NO!" Ryuji yelled. "Those bastards…! I knew they couldn't be domesticated!" I said. The Eater hive then began to float away, carrying Erika's attached body with it! The remaining Eaters also began to follow it! "LET HER GO!" Ryuji yelled. The Eaters just ignored him but I ran forward and brought up a screen of data and started typing on it as I said: "You S.O.B.s aren't goin' anywhere!" When I finished, I held my phone up. The Eater hive got away, but the stragglers were sucked into it! "Graaaaugh! It got away!" Ryuji yelled. "Don't worry, Ryuji—we'll find a way to hunt it down and get her back!" Chitose said.

Wormmon then turned to me and said: "Keisuke, I saw you caught those Eaters…" "…I did." I replied. "What are you going to do with them?" she asked. "…I'm going to find their weakness." I said back. "Huh?" Wormmon said. Everyone else then looked over. "After what those bastards did, they're the equivalent of war criminals as far as I'm concerned. So I'm going to imprison them in a server and do some tests on them—just a few simple experiments. But rest assured, I will not stop until they die." I said back. Ryuji, Chitose, Yu, Yuri and Wormmon then said: "Whaaat?!" and then Chitose said: "Are you sure that's a good use of your time, Keisuke? Killing those Eaters won't bring Erika back." "No, but it will revolutionize anti-Eater warfare. I know it'll come in handy someday!" I said.

"That's actually a good point…" Ryuji said before he went on: "As much as I hate to say it, we'd better go to Central Hospital and plan our next move. We need to recover as much as possible!" "Central Hospital? Why? Now that you and Yuri have fully recovered—and Erika is, er… unavailable—they're no longer under any obligation to house us. All we can do is take our stuff and go." Chitose said. "Oh right…" Ryuji said. He then went on: "Well I guess we'll do just that while we're there… since our old base is gone too, we'll just operate out of my house then." "Alright then. Thank you, Ryuji." Yuri said.

We all then left Odaiba and went to Central Hospital to get everything before we left… over the course of the next few days, I kept trying to develop my skills as a hacker and also began my experiments on the Eaters I had caught. I was determined to build up my abilities to the highest they could be in order to help Erika!


	56. Simon: For our friends

Simon Chapter 30—For our friends—

We kept climbing closer and closer to the hole in the sky until we finally went through! The next thing we knew, we were speeding through a colorful pink-and-white passageway of data! "Is this… the passageway where the dimensional barrier was?" Yuuko asked. "That's right. Now that it's gone, there's nothing here anymore, so we can all get through." Alphamon said.

We then kept going until we saw a shining light in the distance! "Alphamon! Is that it?!" I asked. "Yes… the entrance to the Digital World. Once we go through it, we'll be in the presence of many Eaters, so stay alert, everyone!" Alphamon said. We then kept speeding through until we sped right up to the light! As we blasted through the brightness, we came out on the other side… the Digital World. And then we saw it:

It looked nothing like I was expecting… it had gray trees that almost looked like petrified wood with gray leaves… Eater tentacles were wrapped around many of them too. There were red flowers on the ground emitting red and white data particles too… the ground was gray and hard as stone, with Eater patterns drawn all over it—there were white spots scattered here and there too… it was dusk and the sunset was the only thing of beauty here…

"Well, here we are…" Alphamon said. "Yow… this looks nothing like I expected…" Nokia said. "I'll say… it looks awful…" Yuuko said. "Yuuko!" I said. "Ulp! Sorry…" Yuuko said. Omnimon then shook his head as he said: "There's nothing wrong with her telling it like it is, Simon. There was once a time when it was beautiful, but… it _is_ awful now." "Omnimon…" Nokia said as she looked at him. We then saw Yuuko point up and say: "Look!" and we all did so… and saw Eaters flying forward through the sky! "Well it looks like they've arrived… we've done just what that weird old man said. Now all that's left to do is sneak up to King Drasil and free him from the tyranny of the Mother Eater…" Leopardmon said. "Right! Then we'll save the Digital World and all of the precious Digimon!" Nokia said.

"…Before we go though, there's something important you should know…" Arata said. "Huh? What do you mean?" Yuuko asked. "The Eater that is their leader—the Mother Eater, as Suedou called it—is the same Eater who is also responsible for each Eater's basic instincts and impulses. But right now, the Mother Eater isn't doing that—" Arata said and then I asked: "Then what is?" "A human… he was the first victim of EDEN Syndrome and imprisoned inside the Mother Eater. Ever since then, he has been the entity responsible for managing the Eater's instincts. That being said, we'll need to save him from the Mother Eater before we attack." Arata said.

All of us stood there in silence before Nokia finally said: "Arata…" and then Arata said: "Yes?" and then Nokia suddenly looked frustrated as she said: "What are you talking about?! How do you know all of this?!" "…I guess there's no sense in hiding it anymore… there's something I need to tell you." Arata said. "Huh?" Yuuko said. "The truth is… Suedou enticed me to partially merge with an Eater a while back—" Arata said and then Nokia, Yuuko, Omnimon and Alphamon all said: "WHAT?!" before Arata said: "It's true. I'm not making it up. And I took him up on it. My arm got modified and became capable of consuming data. Luckily, Simon put me back on the right path, but before he did, Suedou even shared some of his knowledge with me, including that the Mother Eater is supposed to be responsible for the Eaters' instincts and impulses. But he didn't tell me about the imprisoned human… I remembered that on my own as a result of merging with the Eater."

"What do you mean…? You mean you knew who the human was and you somehow forgot?" Yuuko asked. "Yes…" Arata said. "So who is it?" Yuuko asked. "…It's your brother, Yuuko. Yuugo Kamishiro." Arata said. "WHAT?!" Yuuko said. "Yes. It's true. The reason I knew is because there was a beta test years ago where four kids were selected to explore EDEN when it was first launched. And they were me, Yuugo, Nokia and you, Yuuko." Arata said. Nokia looked confused before she said: "Me too…? Well why can't Yuuko or I remember then?!" "And how did Yuugo end up in the Mother Eater?!" Yuuko asked.

"Because there was an accident where the Digital World came into contact with ours inside the cyberspace we were in… we all entered and wound up here, in the Digital World. Then we explored as a foursome for a bit… but soon we ran into an Eater. Yuugo sacrificed himself and allowed himself to be consumed by the Eater in order to ensure we got away… that's how he ended up in the Mother Eater… the Eater brought him there and he wound up as the manager of the Eaters' instincts. Now as for Nokia's question, Kamishiro deleted our memory of the incident before we logged out so we wouldn't say anything that would damage Kamishiro's reputation. It was only because I merged with the Eater that I was given access to the Eaters' saved memories and saw it that way…" Arata said.

Yuuko then shook her head and said: "So Yuugo was consumed and I… ran away? I've been a terrible sister…" "Anyone would have at that age, Yuuko. You can't blame yourself for it." I said. Yuuko then grinned faintly at me and said: "Thanks, Simon." "Well it looks like that worked out for the best though—this way we know we need to save Yuugo before we start the attack." Nokia said. Yuuko then looked up at Arata and said: "That's true. In a way, I owe you a lot of credit, Arata." "Heh… you can thank me later, Yuuko." Arata said. "Still, it's hard to believe we were all here before—" Nokia began and then I said: "…Except me. All of you—and Yuugo—have been friends for a long time, but I'm just an outsider to your longstanding social circle…"

And then Arata, Nokia and Yuuko all immediately turned to me and then Nokia said: "What are you talking about?! You've been a hugely important friend! Just because you came into our lives a little later doesn't mean that you're any less important!" "That's right… you've helped us all so much, Simon. We all owe you a lot of credit." Yuuko said. "Yeah. Like when you put me back on the right track after I merged with the Eater—" Arata began and then Yuuko said: "Or you saved me from the Eater in Roppongi." "And the Heroes' Network never would have formed if it weren't for you!" Nokia said. "And I probably wouldn't have completed my responsibilities—both as a sleuth and as a Royal Knight—without my assistant." Alphamon said. By now I was smiling widely and said: "Everyone…" and then I said: "Thanks! I'm glad you all feel that way. And being your friend has been an inherently valuable experience I'll never forget either."

We all then smiled together, but then Leopardmon said: "Well now that we know our plan of attack, shall we continue? We still need to get to King Drasil." "Very true." Omnimon said. "Right!" Nokia said before she said to Omnimon: "So can you take us to where he is, Omnimon?" "I, Leopardmon or Alphamon—we _are_ Royal Knights after all. We need to head straight ahead through this forest—I just hope what Suedou said about the Eaters having a hard time detecting us works!" Omnimon said. We all then nodded and headed onward.

Luckily, it looked like Suedou was telling the truth—we never saw any security forces come our way. We kept going until we came up on a clearing with a giant pit… it almost looked like a bottomless one… "Is King Drasil down there, Omnimon?" Nokia asked. "Yes, exactly." Omnimon answered back. "How are we supposed to get down safely?! We don't even have parachutes!" I said. "Maybe not… but we Royal Knights always had a trick for rendering the fall harmless. By using the powers of me, Omnimon and Alphamon, we could create a magic circle that would render the fall harmless as long as you're within it—" Leopardmon began and then Arata said: "And if we're not?" "Then you won't die… but I can guarantee you it would be the end of your avatar. It would surely break and force you to logout from the impact." Leopardmon answered. "It's good to hear we're not in any danger then, but… it'll be really, really important we stay in the circle then…" Yuuko said. "Don't worry; we'll make it as easy as we can. I'll go in first and create the upper point. You kids go in next, and let Omnimon and Leopardmon create the lower two. Just make sure to follow in quick succession! Don't stop for any hesitation!" Alphamon said. "Well, I guess it's simple enough… alright, let's do it!" Arata said.

Alphamon then ran forward and dove in. We all then followed her and leapt off. Soon we saw a white-and-purple magic circle form beneath us and turned our heads to see Omnimon and Leopardmon behind us! "Score! We're all going to land without a hitch!" Arata said. We then fell for what felt like a while before we finally saw solid ground beneath us! When we were approaching it, the magic circle floated a little above the ground, decelerating our landing, before we came to a complete stop on the ground and it disappeared. Now we were in a white, temple-like circular area, with the Mother Eater before us, standing in the pit!

It was shaped like a human, although it had two white, demon-like horns sticking out of the sides of its head and two antennae on the top. It had only one eye in the middle of its head and all of the flesh on its head, neck and the upper half of its torso was colored white and black and was moving horizontally at all times. It also had a white and gray ruff its neck with white strands with red tips sticking out of it… its chest and much of its torso were covered by white, ribcage-like armor on the sides and circular, c-shaped sash-like armor consisting of white spheres with red cores in the center of each. What flesh was exposed was colored black. It had white, bangle-like armor around its arms and a red pelvis with black patterns that were also moving at all times… it had two white wings and looked over 80 feet tall!

"Whoa… that thing's colossal!" Arata said. "It is certainly something… but we can't get intimidated now! Think of it as just another obstacle to overcome!" Yuuko said. "Ooh, I like your thinking Yuuko! Now let's see…" Nokia began before she went on: "The first thing we need to do is rescue Yuugo, right? So can you connect jump into the Mother Eater, Simon?" "…That should work… okay. Please distract it for me while I slip in!" I said. Everyone else nodded and went off and started trying to provoke the Mother Eater. When it looked distracted, I ran around the side and connect jumped into the Mother Eater!

The interior of the Mother Eater didn't look any different than the inside of the Eater that had consumed Yuuko, or inside of Arata… were all Eaters like this from the inside? I suppose that's of no importance whatsoever, though. I then sped forward. I had to keep moving for a while, but eventually I saw… a young boy who wore a white shirt with black pants and brown shoes. He also had short black hair like Arata, although it was a little longer in the front than it was in the back—Yuugo! "YUUGO!" I yelled. Yuugo then turned to me and said: "Simon?! What are you doing in here?" "I came to bust you out of the Eaters' little prison they made for you! So come on! Let's go see Yuuko and the others!" I said.

"You want me to come back, huh… I can't say I'm opposed, but if I do, the Eaters will become more dangerous." Yuugo said. "That doesn't matter! We're about to take down the Mother Eater anyway!" I said. Yuugo then looked shocked and said: "You're going to challenge the Mother Eater…?! Are you really sure you have what it takes to win?" "Of course! We've been through all kinds of challenges and come out on top each time! We're ready!" I said. Yuugo then smiled and said: "Then I'll go with you. Thank you—I never thought I'd escape this place! But I'm so excited to see Yuuko and the others! Now let's go!" I then nodded and grabbed his arm as I connect jumped out of the Mother Eater!

(Meanwhile, outside the Mother Eater…)

Nokia, Yuuko, Arata, Alphamon, Omnimon and Leopardmon indeed had plenty of success provoking the Mother Eater—now it was trying to smash them! They all ran around to avoid its fists and Nokia panted as she said: "I sure hope Simon finds Yuugo soon! I'm starting to get worried about how much longer we can avoid this thing!" "I know how you feel… but we've got to hold out! You can't rush perfection!" Arata said. And then suddenly the Mother Eater lifted its hands up… "What's happening to it?" Leopardmon asked. The Mother Eater then put them down by its sides and leaned forward! It stopped moving and Alphamon then said: "I think we may have just witnessed a miracle… Simon and Yuugo should likely be out soon." Everyone then paused, but the Mother Eater still didn't move, so they all went running up to it. "Whoa-ho! Looks like Simon really did it!" Arata said. "Yup! That's our Simon!" Nokia said. Yuuko then smiled and said: "I can't believe it! Now after all these years, I'm finally going to get to see my… my…"

(Meanwhile, inside the Mother Eater…)

We quickly zipped back and out of the Mother Eater! Yuugo and I then landed and I smiled… but with the exception of Arata, everyone (most of all Yuuko) looked shocked. Finally, Yuuko said: "…My _little_ brother?! What's going on?!" Yuugo then chuckled and said: "Not what you expected, Yuuko? Well that's alright… I didn't think you would." Yuuko then shook her head and smiled as she said: "Oops… I'm sorry, Yuugo… I really am happy to see you." But then she went on: "But what happened? You haven't aged a day since I last saw you!"

"Well that all stands to reason… from being integrated into the Mother Eater and so thoroughly assimilated into their network, it actually had an effect on my earthly body as well… it was put into a state of stasis, where it couldn't age. That's why I look the same as when I last saw you." Yuugo said. "I see… that's incredible. Yuugo… back when we were last together, I used to be younger than you. Now that I'm suddenly the eldest, this is going to take some getting used to…" Yuuko began, but then she started to cry as she ran up, knelt down and hugged him as she said: "But none of that matters! All that's important is that you're finally free and you're back! I'm so happy you're alright!"

Yuugo then hugged her back and eventually they let go. I then felt confused and I said: "I'm glad this all worked out… but even so, there's still one thing I don't get, Yuuko…" and then she turned to me and said: "Yes?" and I said: "What about at Central Hospital? Didn't they let you see Yuugo?" Yuuko then shook her head and said: "No… they never let me see him, which is why that was such a shock for me." I suddenly felt shocked and angry hearing this and said: "So the hospital technicians were selfish enough to deny a lonely girl the chance to see her own brother, who was thought to be her only living relative? Talk about cold-hearted…" "I agree. But at least Yuugo is going to be coming home!" Yuuko said. She then turned to Yuugo and said: "And dad's okay too! I found out he was alive and rescued him!" Yuugo looked shocked and said: "So dad's alive?! I thought he—" and then Yuuko shook her head and said: "No. That was all propaganda." Yuugo then breathed a sigh of relief and said: "What a relief! Great job rescuing him, Yuuko!"

And we all smiled together before Yuugo went on: "Still though—as much as I hate to break up this heartwarming moment—we're going to have to do something about the Mother Eater fast, while we still have time!" "What do you mean by that?" Omnimon asked. "…It may not look like it, but when I was inside the Mother Eater, I was actually reducing the Eaters' urge to consume data and attack others—" Yuugo said and then Arata said: "Whoa… and to think that's at a reduced level…" "I know it seems hard to believe when they still were causing so much damage, but it's true. I was keeping their consumption of data and the destruction down. But now that I've been freed, if I'm not replaced quickly, the Eaters will revert back to their normal level of predation—which is much more aggressive! So we have to destroy the Mother Eater before that can happen!" Yuugo said.

But then something truly surprising happened: we heard Suedou say: "You needn't fear anything, anyone! This is not a concern!" we all then turned to see him approaching the Mother Eater from the side! "Suedou?! What are you doing here?!" Arata asked. As if he didn't hear him, Suedou then said: "Now at last… all the pain, all the suffering, all the sadness… shall be stopped dead in its tracks!" He then turned to Yuugo and said: "Yuugo, you have suffered long and horribly. It is important you live free once again." Suedou then turned to us and said: "Excellent work, everyone! You have done a wonderful job freeing Yuugo from this reprehensible situation!"

Yuugo then tilted his head as he said: "Thank you, but… how are you proposing this be corrected, Suedou? If you objected to us fighting the Mother Eater, I can't imagine you're advocating for its destruction…" "Yes, that is absolutely right, Yuugo! Because…" Suedou began before he walked up really close to the Mother Eater and pulled up a screen of data as he typed on it and went on: "I will take your place in the Mother Eater, as the manager of their instincts and impulses! I will be their sole driving will! And combined with King Drasil's unmatched computing power and the Eaters' ability to consume and transmit data, I will at last bring order to everyone!" Arata and I then ran up to him and Arata said: "Oh no you don't!" but then Suedou disappeared! Arata and I then came to a skidding halt and backed up as we heard Yuugo say: "This can't be good…" and then the Mother Eater started to move!

We saw it stand up straight at its full height from the pit—we could now see it had two legs that were covered with white armor, but what was really remarkable was that it was even taller—it now looked well over 100 feet tall! "Whoa! This can't be good!" Nokia said. Arata then called out his Digimon, Yuuko called out Machinedramon and I was so worried, I called out _all_ of my Digimon. We then heard Suedou's voice say: "At last! I can finally end all things that are painful, sad or grievous!" "And how are you planning to do that…?" Nokia asked.

I wasn't sure if Suedou could hear us from all the way down here, yet it seemed he did, because he said: "With the combined power of King Drasil and the Mother Eater… I will build a new world! A perfect world where nothing bad, sad or upsetting even exists! A happy world full of constantly happy people!"

So this had been Suedou's goal all along? It sounded nice, but it was clear that he was a firm believer that you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet… Yuuko then said: "A paradise like that… you're sure thinking wishfully—" before Alphamon said: "I don't think so." We all then immediately turned to her and she went on: "You are all humans, so you don't realize it, but King Drasil created this world. It would hardly be a stretch for him to create another one. With his power combined with the power of the Eaters and a human who understands just what pain is… this new perfect world Suedou wants may be possible to create."

We all then looked up at Suedou. "Well? A wonderful idea, don't you think?" Suedou asked. "That is a little hard to argue with…" Nokia said. "But still, I have to wonder…" Sabrina asked. Suedou then said: "Yes?" "You say it's going to be a paradise, but… would Digimon be in this perfect world?" Sabrina asked. "You needn't worry, because you would have your own!" Suedou said. "Huh? Wait—does that mean we could never see our Digimon again if we let you build this world?" Nokia asked. "Exactly! Humans and Digimon do have some similarities, but they are unique creatures, with unique needs. To best meet them, the Digimon would get their own separate world, just as humans would get theirs." Suedou said.

I was shocked when I heard this… and then Nokia said: "That… that's crap!" "Hm?" Suedou said. "Our Digimon are our treasured partners! If we couldn't be with them…" Nokia began, but wouldn't finish her sentence. "I agree. It wouldn't be the same without them." I said. "Yeah… I raised Machinedramon from the in-training stage. I couldn't just let him go…" Yuuko said. "And Diaboromon did forgive me when I didn't call him out in so long…" Arata said before he shook his head and went on: "I owe him. I couldn't let something like this happen!"

We then heard Alphamon say: "So you all would give up paradise for us…" and then we turned to see our Digimon beaming at us as Alphamon went on: "That's pretty incredible. That goes to show that we chose our partners very well." "What can I say? Digimon are smart." Nokia said. We all then smiled together before we heard Suedou say: "I find it hard to believe you would choose a world where sadness and pain are so common just for mere Digimon…" and then we felt the ground start to shake! The floor we were standing on detached and started rising up into the air rapidly! "Wh-whoa! What's…?!" Nokia began as Suedou went on: "…But so be it. As sad as it is, as long as we cannot agree with each other, I suppose we'll have to settle this with a contest of force. Don't worry—I'll still let you into my perfect world when I defeat you. Failure is punishment enough. Just let me look you in the eye…"

And the floor we were standing on finally came to a stop in front of the Mother Eater's chin before Yuugo said: "It looks like this is it… I'm sorry I can't help you guys, but I know you can do it!" Yuuko then smiled at him as Nokia said: "We will! You can count on us!" I started to regain my composure and used my phone to scan the Mother Eater—I knew it couldn't scan an Eater, but maybe it could discern what type the Mother Eater was… I checked and it said the Mother Eater's left wing was a vaccine, the right wing was a data and the Mother Eater's head was a virus… looks like it'll be a versatile opponent…

I then called back all of my Digimon except for Jason, Sabrina and Gil. I then stepped forward with them and Yuuko followed in suit as I said: "Jason, use bifrost on the Mother Eater's head! Sabrina, use holy light 3 on the left wing! Gil, use dark roar on the right wing!" and Jason said: "Bifrost!" as he shot a bolt of energy from his crossbow at the Mother Eater's head! Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where the left wing was! Gil then said: "Dark roar!" and conjured an orb of darkness which he sent flying at the right wing! The left wing then started to shine before red waves went up around the Mother Eater's head and wings. The right wing then shined before purplish-pink wisps of darkness spun around our Digimon and crashed into them! We then heard Suedou say: "Meteor fall 3!" and a red-hot rock came falling from above on our Digimon! Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon! Use infinity cannon!" and Machinedramon leaned forward and pointed the cannons on his back at the Mother Eater as he said: "Infinity cannon!" and shot energy blasts from his cannons at the Mother Eater and its wings!

I then said: "Let's see… those red waves usually appear when something powers itself up…" and then I said: "Sabrina, use amethyst mandala! Jason, use bifrost on the Mother Eater's head! Gil, hit the right wing with dark roar again!" and Jason and Gil did so before Sabrina said: "Amethyst mandala!" and she swung her staff around before a magic circle formed on the ground beneath her and flower petals went flying into the air as a dome of energy formed around her and shot outward! The Mother Eater and its wings recoiled and we heard Suedou say: "Hmm… aren't you cunning…" Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use infinity cannon again!" and Machinedramon said: "Infinity cannon!" and shot more energy blasts at the Mother Eater and its wings! The left wing then started to shine before the floor we were standing on turned bright yellow before pillars of yellow light shot up from it and hit our Digimon—Gil and Machinedramon took it the hardest. The right wing then began to shine and we saw blue waves go down around our Digimon. Suedou then said: "Gale storm 3!" and used a windstorm to attack our Digimon!

Yuuko then had Machinedramon use infinity cannon again before the left wing started to shine and made more bright yellow pillars of light shoot up from it and hit our Digimon again. The right wing then shined before more wisps of darkness spun around our Digimon and crashed into them. Suedou then said: "Power energy 3!" and caused an explosion of gray energy to envelop Sabrina! She looked pretty beat after this too, so I said: "Sabrina, use final heal on yourself! Jason, use bifrost on the Mother Eater! Gil, use dark roar on the right wing!" and then Sabrina said: "Final heal!" and restored her health before Jason and Gil attacked as they had been doing.

The left wing then shined before more pillars of light hit our Digimon. The right wing then shined and we saw more blue waves go down around our Digimon. We then heard Suedou say: "Thunder fall 3!" and bolts of lightning struck our Digimon! I then said: "Jason, use Odin's breath! Sabrina, use holy light 3 on the left wing! Gil, use acceleration boost!" Jason then said: "Odin's breath!" and blasted the Mother Eater and its wings with a gust of blue breath. Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light emerge where the left wing was! Gil then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack! Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use infinity cannon!" and Machinedramon did so… before the right wing suddenly drooped down and stopped moving!

"Alright! Looks like we're one step closer to bringing this thing down! In that case… Sabrina! Use final heal on Gil! Jason, Gil, attack the Mother Eater! Use bifrost and dark roar!" I said and Sabrina then healed Gil to perfect health before he and Jason attacked the Mother Eater. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3 on the Mother Eater!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and he shocked the Mother Eater with electricity! Suedou then said: "Hmm! A very impressive assault! But you should watch out too—the power of the Mother Eater is not something to be taken for granted either, as I will now teach you! Vanquish drive!" and then there was a sonic boom before us and we heard our Digimon scream before they fell to their knees! "What?! What happened?!" I asked. And then I saw the left wing shine before more pillars of light erupted from the ground and our Digimon were done for! They all collapsed!

"It looks like that attack brings the Digimon down to the point where one more can finish them off… that is so shameless!" Yuuko said. "Dear me, didn't I say it before? Anything is possible with the might of the Eaters." Suedou said. Yuuko then looked down and called Machinedramon back before she said: "With Machinedramon beaten, there's nothing more I can do… I'll have to back out." And then she backed up. I then sent in Zephyr, Daisy and Elena as Nokia stepped forward and said: "It's a good thing I'm still here then!" She then turned to Omnimon and said: "Omnimon, are you up to this?" "Of course! I won't stand by and do nothing now!" Omnimon said. I smiled and I said: "Thanks, Nokia, Omnimon… alright, let's take the fight to them!"

Nokia nodded and said: "You bet! Omnimon—strike back with all you've got! Transcendent sword!" and Omnimon said: "Transcendent sword!" and out of the head at the end of his arm that looked like a WarGreymon's, a giant sword emerged! Omnimon then swung it, creating a fiery shockwave that hit the Mother Eater and its left wing! After the hit, the left wing even drooped down and stopped moving! I then said: "Daisy, use safety guard on yourself! Zephyr, use status barrier on yourself! Elena, hit the Mother Eater with fist of Athena!" and then Daisy said: "Safety guard!" and made a blue barrier appear in front of herself that worked once per casting to stop her from being defeated when she otherwise would be and leave her intact with almost no health instead. Zephyr then said: "Status barrier!" and made a purple barrier appear in front of him to protect him from bad statuses and from having his attributes reduced. Elena then leapt at the Mother Eater's head and said: "Fist of Athena!" and delivered a forceful punch to it before she flipped backward and landed on the floating floor we were on again. Suedou then said: "Meteor fall 3!" and made another red-hot rock come falling on our Digimon!

"Alright, only one target left! Omnimon, use supreme cannon on the Mother Eater!" Nokia said. Omnimon then pointed the end of his arm that looked like a MetalGarurumon's head at the Mother Eater's head and it opened, revealing a small cannon! Omnimon then said: "Supreme cannon!" and fired a cannonball at the Mother Eater's head! "Daisy, use safety guard on Zephyr! Zephyr, use mourning dance on the Mother Eater! Elena, follow up with fist of Athena!" I said and then Daisy said: "Safety guard!" and cast the same spell on Zephyr before Zephyr said: "Mourning dance!" and he flew around the Mother Eater before he flew in and slashed at its head eight times with his wings! Elena then followed through with another fist of Athena. Suedou then said: "Thunder fall 3!" and caused lightning to shock our Digimon!

"Daisy, use safety guard on Elena! Zephyr, Elena, hit the Mother Eater with the same attacks you've been using!" I said. Daisy then cast safety guard on Elena and Zephyr and Elena then attacked the Mother Eater's head again. Suedou then said: "Power energy 3!" and made another explosion of gray energy envelop Daisy. Nokia then said: "Omnimon, give him another taste of supreme cannon!" and Omnimon said: "Supreme cannon!" and fired a cannonball at the Mother Eater's head.

Since Daisy was starting to look beat, I said: "Daisy, use final aura! Zephyr, Elena, keep up your attacks you've been using!" and then Daisy said: "Final aura!" and restored everyone's health! Zephyr and Daisy then followed up with the same attacks again and Nokia had Omnimon use another supreme cannon. Suedou then said: "Gale storm 3!" and used a windstorm to attack all of our Digimon!

Nokia then said: "Omnimon, keep it up! Supreme cannon!" and Omnimon said: "Supreme cannon!" and shot another cannonball at the Mother Eater's head. I then said: "Alright, let's resume our game plan! Daisy, cast a safety guard on Omnimon! Zephyr, Elena, keep attacking!" and then Daisy said: "Safety guard!" and cast the same spell on Omnimon—now all of our Digimon were protected! Zephyr then said: "Mourning dance!" and Elena said: "Fist of Athena!" and they attacked with them again. Suedou then said: "Meteor fall 3!" and made another red-hot rock fall on our Digimon! But then something surprising happened: the right wing suddenly rose up again!

"What?! I thought we beat that thing down?!" Nokia said. "Oh my, did you really think it would be that easy?" Suedou asked. "Tch… looks like we'd better take attacking seriously when they're down…" I said.

I then said: "Elena, smash the right wing! Use fist of Athena! Zephyr, use mourning dance on the Mother Eater's head! Daisy, use aguichant levres on the right wing!" and then Zephyr said: "Mourning dance!" and he flew around the Mother Eater's head before making his move and slashing at it eight times. Elena then said: "Fist of Athena!" and leapt at the Mother Eater's right wing and hit it with a forceful punch before she backflipped back and Daisy said: "Aguichant levres!" and blew a laser from her lips like a kiss at the right wing. Suedou then said: "Thunder fall 3!" and caused lightning to strike our Digimon. The right wing then began to shine before more purplish-pink wisps of darkness began to spin around our Digimon and crash into them! Nokia then said: "Omnimon! Give the Mother Eater another supreme cannon!" and Omnimon did so… but then the left wing rose up!

Suedou then said: "On your knees! Vanquish drive!" and caused another sonic boom before our Digimon all fell to their knees and the left wing then shined before more pillars of light erupted from the ground and hit our Digimon. The blue barriers then shattered… and the right wing then shined and made more of those wisps of darkness spin around our Digimon and crash into them, taking them down!

"Argh… the safety guards are no good as long as all three of them can attack together…" I said. "It was a good idea, though. And at least we took longer to defeat." Nokia said. She then called Omnimon back and said: "Well I'm sorry, but I can't fight anymore… I'm going to have to back out too." And then she backed up before Arata approached and called out his Neptunemon, Diaboromon and Minervamon and said: "Looks like it's time to finish this! Let's go, Simon!" and I smiled and nodded as I called out Pepper, Arthur and Larry.

Arata then said: "Diaboromon, give everyone a boost! Attack charge field! Neptunemon, use vortex penetration on the Mother Eater! Minervamon, use strike roll on the right wing!" and then I said: "Pepper and Arthur, you boost everyone too! Use attack charge field and guard charge field! Larry, help Minervamon! Use soul core attack on the right wing!" and then Diaboromon said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted our Digimons' damage output with non-magic attacks. Pepper then said: "Attack charge field!" and did the same thing. Arthur then said: "Guard charge field!" and boosted everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Minervamon then leapt at the right wing and said: "Strike roll!" before she slammed it with her sword and came back down on the floor we were on. Larry then followed up and said: "Soul core attack!" and leapt at the right wing before he slashed it with his sword and came down on the floor we were on. Neptunemon then said: "Vortex penetration!" and hurled his spear at the Mother Eater's head, which took a big hit! Suedou then said: "Meteor fall 3!" and made another red-hot rock come falling down on our Digimon! The left wing then began to shine before red lines went up around the Mother Eater and its wings. The right wing also shined and then blue waves went down around our Digimon.

I then said: "Pepper, use terra force! Arthur, use judgement of the blade on the left wing! Larry, use soul core attack on the right wing!" and then Pepper said: "Terra force!" and conjured a red-orange sphere between his hands which he enlarged to enormous proportions and threw at the Mother Eater. It caused an explosion large enough to hit it and each of its wings! Arthur then followed up and said: "Judgement of the blade!" and flew at the left wing before he slashed at it five times. Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at the right wing again. Suedou then said: "Power energy 3!" and caused an explosion of gray energy to envelop Arthur. The left wing then shined and more pillars of light erupted beneath our Digimon and the right wing then shined before purplish-pink wisps of darkness surrounded our Digimon and crashed into them! "Neptunemon, use vortex penetration on the Mother Eater again! Diaboromon, use destruction cannon 3 on the left wing! Minervamon, use mach rush 3!" Arata said and Neptunemon did so before Diaboromon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at the left wing. Minervamon then said: "Mach rush 3!" and charged forward before she made a shockwave that hit the Mother Eater and its wings—and the right wing drooped back down again after the attack!

"Pepper, use acceleration boost! Arthur, use weltgeist! Larry, hit the Mother Eater's head with soul core attack!" I said. Pepper then said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack! Arthur then said: "Weltgeist!" and assumed a defensive position. Larry then leapt at the Mother Eater's head and used a soul core attack before landing. Arata then said: "Diaboromon, hit the left wing! Use destruction cannon 3! Minervamon, use strike roll on the Mother Eater! Neptunemon, use ocean wave 3!" and then Diaboromon said: "Destruction cannon 3!" and lobbed a blob of darkness at the left wing again. Neptunemon then said: "Ocean wave 3!" and made a wave of water appear in front of the Mother Eater's head and wings before it splashed into them and fell many, many feet below… it was like a magnificent waterfall… and after it did, the left wing drooped back down! Minervamon then struck the Mother Eater's head with a strike roll. Suedou then said: "Vanquish drive!" and caused a sonic boom that brought all of our Digimon to their knees—except for Arthur, who looked just fine. As soon as the attack ended though, Arthur flew at the Mother Eater and slashed at its head before he flew back.

I then said: "It's time to end this! Pepper, use great tornado! Larry, use soul core attack! Arthur, give him a judgement of the blade!" and then Arata said: "Diaboromon, give him all you've got! Catastrophe cannon! Minervamon, use strike roll! Neptunemon, use vortex penetration!" and Diaboromon said: "Catastrophe cannon!" and fired three massive fireballs from his chest at the Mother Eater's head before Minervamon said: "Strike roll!" and then leapt at the Mother Eater's head and slammed her sword on it and landed back on the floor we were on. Neptunemon then said: "Vortex penetration!" and threw his spear at the Mother Eater's head! Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and leapt at the Mother Eater's head before he slashed at it and landed on the floor we were on. Arthur then said: "Judgement of the blade!" and then slashed at the Mother Eater's head five times. Pepper then said: "Great tornado!" and he positioned his claws in front of him and then spun rapidly (like a drill) and crashed into the Mother Eater's head before he flew back… and then we saw explosions occurring around the Mother Eater's head before it started falling backwards and back down into the pit! It was finished!

We all then cheered and then we heard Suedou's voice say: "No… I have failed…" and then he went on: "Now humanity will never know the existence it deserves… and all for a few kids' love of their Digimon… I'll never understand it…" and then the Mother Eater disappeared into the pit!

"Well… it looks like we did it. We stopped Suedou and the Mother Eater!" Arata said. "Yeah… that was incredible. The odds were so far against us and we still emerged victorious!" I said. "I'll say! That was an amazing thing to get to see. Great work, Simon, Arata, Nokia, Yuuko." Yuugo said. We all then smiled and Alphamon nodded before she said: "Yes, it looks like the battle has been won. And that was no ordinary feat. We owe it all to you and the love for your Digimon you possess that victory was achieved."

"Even so though…" Nokia said and then we all turned to her and she went on: "You don't think that what we did was wrong, do you?" "…Are you really letting what Suedou said get to you, Nokia?" Yuuko asked. "Yeah, I know that the guy's always been underhanded, but still… how could something evil come out of the love of our Digimon?" Nokia asked. "…That's in the eye of the beholder. However, I can guarantee one thing…" Alphamon said and we all looked at her as she went on: "Every human and Digimon who has been touched by each other's kindness—and that includes me—is thanking you right now." We all then smiled.

But then we saw something incredible! A white light was radiating from the pit! "What?! What's happening now?!" Yuuko asked. "That light… it's King Drasil's will!" Leopardmon said. "Yes… I can feel his will coming from it. It looks like he has separated from the Mother Eater and has imprisoned it." Alphamon said. She then went on: "Well this works out rather nicely! I can help King Drasil banish it back to the world it came from."

"Well, looks like all's well that ends well! That was awesome." Arata said. We all nodded and then Yuugo said: "But Alphamon…" and then she turned to him and he went on: "If you can help King Drasil banish the Mother Eater… are you going to do the same with all of the other Eaters?" "Absolutely. And I believe King Drasil may be able to reformat the Eaters back to a harmless state of being too. Once he has done so, we'll see to it that they all will be sent away back to their world." Alphamon said.

"So it sounds like you'll be staying here for a while then…" I said. Alphamon then smiled and said: "For the time being, yes. But don't worry, my dear Watson—I'll try and be back in time for your return home." I smiled and said: "Yeah. I'd like that." "I'll be staying here too. I want to work to get the Eaters all out of here also." Leopardmon said. "Well, it looks like we'd better head back home then. Simon, Yuugo, Nokia, Yuuko—you all ready?" Arata asked. "You bet!" I said. "Yeah… I can't believe I'll finally be going back to Earth…" Yuugo said. He then went on: "It'll be so exciting. Especially with dad there." "Yup! I know he'll be happy to see you!" Yuuko said. "Yeah! Let's go, team!" Nokia said. "Looks like the matter is settled then. But first…" Alphamon said, and then green light appeared around our phones! "What happened?" I asked. "I healed your Digimon. But that's not the only thing I will do for you…" Alphamon went on… and then a logout zone appeared!

We all turned to it and Alphamon continued: "That will take you back to the forest we came into when we entered. You can find your way back to Earth from there." "Alright then! See you soon, Alphamon!" I said. We all then smiled and Arata, Yuuko, Yuugo, Nokia and I then went to the logout zone and left. After we took it, we were back in the forest and then we looked around before Nokia said: "So now where do we go…?" and Omnimon said: "I can take you the rest of the way. Let's go—I'll be your guide." "Alright then! We'll follow you, Omnimon!" Nokia said.

We then headed forward for what felt like quite a while… eventually, Yuuko asked: "Umm… is it going to be much further, Omnimon?" "It'll be a little while yet… just stay focused." Omnimon said. We kept going, but then there was a flash of light! It stayed bright as I heard Nokia say: "What?! What's happening?!" "It doesn't seem natural… I wonder—" Omnimon began, but then the light died down… and when we could see again, the forest we were in looked natural again! The trees were green, the ground was covered with grass and the sky was blue with clouds scattered about… it looked beautiful!

We all then stared at the majestic beauty of this place… finally, Arata said: "Heh. This is one amazing world, all right." "It's so beautiful… is this what the Digital World's normally like?" Yuuko asked. "Wow! What a pretty forest! Is this the way it used to be, Omnimon?" Nokia asked. But then we didn't hear any response… "Um… Omnimon?" Nokia said as we turned to him… and saw he was crying as he said: "Yes… this is what it used to look like, before the Eaters' incursion… at last, after all these years… the Digital World has been restored!" and we all cheered before I said: "So this must be the work of Alphamon and King Drasil… they sure got to work fast."

"King Drasil is powerful enough so that it wouldn't surprise me. But it doesn't surprise me that Alphamon is working so fast either…" Omnimon began and then he turned to me before he said: "Alphamon clearly cares about you a lot, Simon. She may have tried to be subtle, but I can tell she really wants to see you off before you go." I smiled and said: "Yup. That sounds like her, alright." Omnimon then grinned and said: "You know her well, I see. Well anyway, come on—we'll be at our destination in due time—" but then Yuuko said: "Well come to think of it… do we really need to go so soon, after the Digital World returned to the way it used to be?"

And then Nokia said: "I agree! I want to see more of this amazing place! We've only been here for a very brief period of time!" Arata then nodded and turned to me as he said: "Yeah. That would be awesome… Simon?" and I said: "I agree!" Omnimon then chuckled before he said: "Alright, it looks like we're on a new course. Let's see… how about if I show you some hills nearby? You'll get to see plenty of the forest along the way, too." "That sounds great!" Nokia said. "Alright then. Follow me, everyone!" Omnimon said. We then started to go off with Omnimon… but then we heard a rustling in some nearby bushes!


	57. Keisuke: The Eaters' Odyssey

Keisuke Chapter 27—The Eaters' Odyssey—

It had been a long series of days… after we gathered our things from Central Hospital, we started operating out of Ryuji's house as our new office. The others had been busy researching, but I was wrapped up in my own project—I had been scanning the Eaters I had imprisoned and changing my ideas about how to put an end to them based on what data I gathered… for all their treachery, I knew Eaters were a very dumb, unaware species… if you put something in front of them, they'll eat it without thinking. That led me to conclude the right way to kill an Eater was to trick it—to put something it thought was safe to eat in front of it that actually carried a virus that was deadly for it to consume. Based on my scans, I refined a virus that I thought was capable of killing an Eater, checking it for any possibility that it might fail that I could think of without actually testing it—I wanted this to work on my first try. And at last, I developed a virus I believed could do it! I then created three decoys that looked like enlarged mice that all had the virus embedded inside of them and dropped them into the server where I had imprisoned the Eaters.

The Eaters saw the decoys and looked them over before they all went about chasing one down and ate it. I then waited… the Eaters didn't seem to show any signs of weakness at first… but within a few minutes, they collapsed! I then scanned the Eaters and saw it—they weren't playing dead, they weren't glitched and they weren't frozen… they were actually dead! My experiment was a success! And on the first try, as I had hoped!

I felt completely triumphant as I suddenly smiled and said: "Yes… YES! I figured it out! Now… at last… I can destroy an Eater!" I then heard Chitose say from the hallway: "Good god, what is going on in there?" I then turned to the door as I said: "Heh-heh… listening close enough, Chitose? Well come in—I've just made a breakthrough!"

Chitose then entered the room I was in and said: "You sure sounded worked up. What was that all about?" I then felt my excitement welling up again as I said: "I did it! My test run was a success!" Chitose then looked confused as he said: "Test run…?" and then he suddenly looked surprised as he said: "Wait a minute… you mean with the Eaters…?!" and I said: "Yes! Every last one of those imps are dead! My virus got them."

Chitose then looked shocked as he said: "Whoa… you made a virus that can kill an Eater?!" "Yes! Now we can stop them if they try any more dirty tricks in the future!" I said. "Dang… you've really become a master hacker without me noticing, Keisuke… you're so good, it's almost a little scary…" Chitose said. I then grinned as I said: "Thanks. But that's obviously not what you came here for, right? What's up?" "Wormmon's discovered something huge… she wants us all to meet in Ryuji's room." Chitose replied. "Alright, I'm on my way!" I said.

I then closed everything and shut down the computer I was using before we went to Ryuji's room, where he, Wormmon, Yu and Yuri were all waiting. Chitose then said: "Alright, I've brought him, Wormmon. Now what's the big news?" Wormmon then nodded and said: "Thank you, Chitose." And then she turned to us and said: "Yes, I've called you all here because I've discovered where the Eater that assimilated Erika is."

"WHAT?! Where?!" Ryuji asked. "That Eater—the Eater Legion, as I call it—it's located in EDEN, in Erika's memory server. I saw it when I went in, in an attempt to communicate with Erika through the server. Although I did have to go inside to actually talk to Erika—" Wormmon said and then I was shocked as I said: "You knew the Eater Legion was there, and you dove into the server anyway? How could you do something so dangerous?!" Wormmon then smiled as she said: "Oh come on, silly! Since when has an Eater ever eaten a Digimon?" "Er… I guess that's a point…" I said back.

Ryuji then said: "So you talked to Erika, Wormmon?" "Yes, I did…" Wormmon said. "What did she say?!" Ryuji asked back. "Well, it wasn't good news—she said that the Eater Legion is eroding EDEN with an army of Eaters from her memory server, which it's using as its command center—" Wormmon began and then Yuri looked shocked and said: "Hey, whoa now—the Eater Legion is eroding EDEN? It's really damaging the data there?" Wormmon looked downcast as she said: "Yes. But it doesn't stop there… in a few moments, I was forced to log out and… I couldn't log back in again!" The rest of us then said: "WHAT?!" "…So is it even possible to get back into EDEN again? Can we even follow Erika there…?" Ryuji asked. "Let me try. I'll go to the other room and report back." I said.

I then went back to the room I was in and turned the computer back on. When it had finished booting, I tried to log into EDEN, but it failed… I tried again, and it didn't work then either… I then tried one more time and it still failed… as horrible as it was, it looks like Wormmon's right… we can't get back in…

I then went back to Ryuji's room and when I entered, Yu asked: "And so, Keisuke?" I shook my head as I said: "It didn't work… we're locked out of EDEN!" "What?! No…" Ryuji said as he looked down. "Is there really no way back in?" Yu asked. "There has to be! We can't just give up! Yuri said. "Right! Now let's see…" Chitose said before he paused and said: "Yuuko was especially up-to-date with the state of affairs in EDEN. We should ask her if she knows of a way." "That may work… alright, let's go to Central Hospital and see if they know anything about where Yuuko is." I said.

We all then left for Central Hospital. When we arrived, we asked if they knew anything about where Yuuko was… and they said Yuuko was currently unavailable. They did say we could meet with Fei though, and gave us her contact information. We then left the hospital.

"Well that was surprising… Yuuko is 'unavailable'? What happened?" Chitose asked. "No idea, but we need to keep trying." Ryuji said. He then turned to us and said: "I'll call Fei—I've dealt with her before, after all." He then took out his phone and called Fei. In a moment, Ryuji said: "Good morning, Fei. It's Ryuji calling. Do you have a minute?" and then there was a pause before he said: "I was hoping that I and the rest of Hudie could meet with you later today—we had something we wanted to talk to you about." There was another pause before Ryuji said: "That works great! Alright, you can meet us at my house. Here's the address…" before he gave it and said: "We look forward to seeing you then. Thanks again."

And then he hung up. He then turned to us and said: "Fei's going to meet us at my house at 2 in the afternoon. So let's keep busy until then." We all nodded and then kept working until the appointed time was drawing near, at which point we all met in a room and Ryuji said: "I'll go meet Fei outside. You all stay put until we're back." And we nodded until Ryuji left. We waited a few minutes and then he soon came back with Fei and when she was in, he closed the door and said: "Welcome, Fei. It's good to see you. Thanks for coming." Fei then smiled and said: "Yeah… I've heard the news… that Arcadiamon is gone." And she still was smiling as she went on: "Thank you for that… really. Now Earth and EDEN are safer, and I really appreciate that." "But Fei… EDEN isn't safe! It's more imperiled than ever!" Yu said. Fei's eyes then widened before she said: "WHAT? What do you mean…? Tell me everything!"

Wormmon then recounted her story to Fei and by the end of it, Fei fell to her knees and hit the ground with her fist as she said: "Dammit! So now no one can log into EDEN?! That monster! It just wiped out Zaxon!" Wormmon then looked disappointed as she said: "So there's really no way to log into EDEN, Fei?" "Well… no, that's not exactly true. There may be one way." Fei replied. "Then tell us! What is it?!" Ryuji asked.

"The underground research lab in Roppongi. It has a special device that is connected to EDEN… it was built differently than devices that log you into EDEN. If anything can get you into EDEN, it's that." Fei said. "But if it's underground, how are we going to access it?" Yuri asked. "You'll have to go through the Nakano Underpass. It's an underground tunnel accessible from Nakano Broadway." Fei said.

"Great! Thank you so much Fei—we really appreciate your help!" I said. "No need to thank me—it's only the right thing to do. Besides, we of Zaxon have our interests in this as well—we can't exist without EDEN. So get in there and squish that Eater! We're counting on you, Hudie." Fei said. "We will! Thank you!" Wormmon said. Fei then nodded and said: "As long as you've got your way in now, I'll leave the rest to you. Good luck." And Ryuji then showed her out.

When he returned, Ryuji then turned to all of us and said: "Alright, so we've got out way in… now all we need is a plan to rescue Erika." "Oh that's easy!" I began and then everyone turned to me as I went on: "All we need to do is weaken the Eater Legion until we can hack it and separate Erika from it by overwriting its code. When that happens, we'll take it down and then inject my virus into the memory server—" before Yuri suddenly said: "Hang on! Your virus? What virus is that?" Chitose then turned to her and said: "He developed a virus that can kill an Eater. He told me on the way here." Everyone else then said: "HUH?!" and Yu said: "You made a virus that can kill an Eater, Keisuke…?"

"Heh-heh. Yup! From my analysis into those Eaters, I discovered a way to severely poison them that leads from consumption to death in minutes. Eaters may be dangerous, but they don't have very much awareness of what's going on around them… or common sense about tricks or traps. Knowing how Eaters behave, when I thought about how to best destroy them, my answer was to embed my virus into something I knew they would try to eat and it worked on my first try—all the Eaters ate the infected data and died within moments. It's the ultimate trojan horse. And that's why I have decided to call it… the Odyssey virus!" I said.

"Well hold on a minute! If it's a virus we'd be injecting into Erika's memory server, would it be harmful to the server itself? Or her memories?" Wormmon asked. "No. The Odyssey virus is harmless to data and doesn't adversely affect it in any way—it's only harmful to Eaters." I said back." "I see… well I have to admit, it sounds like a doable plan so far… what would be next?" Wormmon asked. "Once we'd inject the Odyssey virus into Erika's memory server, all of the Eaters in it would die on the spot. We could then hunt down any stragglers and escape with Erika when we're done." I said. "That definitely sounds doable…" Ryuji said.

"So it looks like we've got our plan." Chitose said. He then turned to Ryuji and said: "Are we ready, leader?" "…Actually, I think that title would best be turned over to Keisuke." Ryuji said back. "Huh? Me?" I said. "Yeah. You've been keeping Hudie together a lot more than I have. And your skill as a hacker has clearly grown. You even came up with a plan to rescue Erika all by yourself. I think you'd be the best for this by far." Ryuji said.

"That's true! He has risen to new heights lately! I'm on board with this idea, too!" Chitose said. "I've known Keisuke for years, and I can say he's definitely the right choice to lead at a time like this." Yu said. "I think so too! With his strength, skills with working with the team and good judgment, Keisuke is a good choice for the leader!" Yuri said. "Yeah! You'll be great!" Wormmon said. I then smiled and said: "Everyone…" before I paused and said: "Alright, I'll take over as leader!" Everyone else then smiled as I said: "Now let's go, team! Next stop: Nakano Underpass!"

And then we all left for Nakano. We had to look around for a while, but eventually we found an elevator that took us to an underground area with lots of machinery. We proceeded forward, until we came out into the Nakano Underpass, with all kinds of surreal scenery, like we had seen on the surface ever since the Paradise Lost plan had succeeded… we then made our way through and eventually came at a dead end that was a giant room with odd machinery… the Roppongi underground research lab. We then approached an odd computer terminal in front of a chair with a headpiece that had electrodes attached to it and Wormmon said: "It looks like this has to be it! Do we use the computer to log in?" "We must. Let's get to hacking it!" I said.

And yet it wasn't so easy… it took us a while to hack it, but eventually, we managed to work out a way for 6 individuals to get into EDEN! "Looks like we finally are all ready. Now let's go!" I said. Everyone nodded and we logged in… into Erika's memory server.

When we arrived, we saw EDEN had changed drastically! The sky was a pale pink color, architecture had been ripped apart, everything was white-and-black striped, there were black tentacles connected to buildings and there were even holes in the sky that were gray-and-white patterned! "Yuck… I liked the old EDEN better…" Yuri said. "Yeah… even if Kowloon was more our domain and we didn't use EDEN as much as ordinary users, it's still hard to see it like this…" Chitose said. "Never mind that!" I said. I then looked ahead and said: "It looks like we're a few hundred feet away from the memory server itself… we'd better get in there before we get detected!" and everyone nodded as we ran on in!

Eventually, we arrived in the front, where Erika's memory server still stood (except it was now covered by a black-and-white, Eater-patterned shell)… it looked like the area was deserted though… "This is weird… where are all the Eaters?" Chitose asked. "…If I had to guess, I would guess they're likely inside the server itself." I said. "Ugh… that's horrible for the saved memory data though!" Wormmon said. She then went on: "We don't have a moment to lose! Now where's that Eater Legion?" and then Yu pointed and said: "Right there!" and we looked up to see it floating towards the server!

"Well speak of the devil…" Chitose said before Wormmon said: "Erika! Can you hear me?! We're here to help you!" and then we saw Erika's mouth start to move as she was attached to the Eater Legion. She said: "…Get out…" "Wh-what?!" Wormmon said. "Get out… I don't want to see you anymore… leave now!" she said. I then pulled up a screen of data as I scanned the Eater Legion and Wormmon continued to look shocked as she said: "What?! Erika… you're not serious! You couldn't be!" By now I had finally gotten some data on the Eater Legion… but it wasn't good news… "Oh man…" I said.

Yuri then turned to me and said: "What is it, Keisuke?" "It looks like the Eater Legion has so heavily assimilated Erika, that it can control her body's mouth movements and speak through her… I knew it had to have assimilated Erika pretty heavily to keep her body attached, but I didn't think the assimilation would be this advanced…" I said. "Is it still possible to remove Erika from it?" Yu asked. "Of course! All it means is that the Eater Legion isn't making our job easy." I said.

"You're all… so stupid. Hahahahahaha… it makes me laugh seeing what you think you're capable of! Very well…" the Eater Legion said through Erika as it waved its tentacles and summoned two more Eaters like eyeballs and said: "You can be our playthings until we eat you. Line up and march to your deaths like the idiots you are." We then prepared to call out our Digimon, but then something extraordinary happened: what looked like a projection of Erika appeared! There were blue data particles all around her and she was translucent, so I could partially see things behind her… just like that time at Nakano! The projection of Erika then said: "Don't mock them. They're stronger than you think."

We all exclaimed as I started to scan the projection. Wormmon then said: "Erika?" and I said: "I can confirm her mental data is present in the projection. That's definitely our Erika." Erika then turned around and nodded before she turned back to the Eater Legion and said: "They've been through real tough times, pain—both physical and emotional—and ordeals beyond what you can understand. And they've come out on top every time, despite all the merciless twists of fate they've had to endure—and that makes them strong! I know both of you perfectly well, and I can say it's you who's stupidly marching to their death." As she pointed to the Eater Legion.

"Ha ha ha! The human ego is so funny to watch! Are you sure you're not just telling yourself what you want to hear? What chance do they have against my army with their pitiful power?" The Eater Legion asked. "Don't underestimate human and Digimon strength! I know they'll find a way—they always have. And I know I can believe in them… because they're my friends." Erika said. "Erika…" Wormmon said. "Hahahaha! Alright, fine! I can't wait to see your hope get crushed and turn into despair!" The Eater Legion said. It then turned to us and said: "Now come! We'll end this freak show right now!" Yu then turned to me and said: "Alright! So what's our plan, leader?" "Surround them and begin the attack! It's time we instilled some fear into them!" I said. Erika then looked surprised and said: "Wait, Keisuke… you're the leader of Hudie now?!" I then smiled at her and said: "Heh-heh! That's right! That's only one of a few surprises we have in store, too!" Erika then smiled and said: "Well… I can see everyone agreed to support you as their leader. Go everybody! You can do this!"

I then called out Slayerdramon, Plesiomon and Ciel while Ryuji called out Justimon, DoruGreymon and Groundramon, Chitose called out Whamon, Shakkoumon and HippoGryphonmon, Yu called out MarineAngemon, Phantomon and Pandamon and Yuri called out Mastemon, Rosemon Burst Mode and RustTyrannomon. Yuri then said: "Mastemon, get this started off right! Use chaos degradation! Rosemon, use mental charge field! RustTyrannomon, use guard charge field!" and Mastemon spun up as she flew up and then said: "Chaos degradation!" and in one of her hands a white light emerged, and in her other hand a black light emerged. Mastemon then brought them together and the result was not a gray light, but instead a small swirling ball that looked more like a tiny black hole… Mastemon then sent it at the Eaters and they all took it pretty hard! Rosemon then said: "Mental charge field!" and raised all of our Digimons' damage output with magic attacks and their damage resistance to magic attacks. RustTyrannomon then said: "Guard charge field!" and raised all of our Digimons' damage resistance against non-magic attacks!

Ryuji then said: "Justimon, Groundramon, gang up on the Eater Legion! Use justice kick and scrapless claw! DoruGreymon, use awesome quake 3!" and Groundramon then said: "Scrapless claw!" and took the two giant claws on his back arms that were clenched together as he opened them and clapped the Eater Legion with them—but the Eater Legion barely looked phased! Groundramon then backed away and Justimon leapt up and said: "Justice kick!" and delivered a swift kick to the Eater Legion… but that barely did anything either! DoruGreymon then said: "Awesome quake 3!" and the ground started to shake before a giant boulder then formed in between the Eaters and then shattered and rained down on them! The two Eaters like eyeballs took it and recovered, but once again, the Eater Legion barely looked affected…

"Such incredible defense… what on Earth could explain that?" Ryuji asked. "Hehehe! You shouldn't have underestimated me!" the Eater Legion said. Chitose then said: "Whamon, use tidal wave! HippoGryphonmon, use heat wave! Shakkoumon, disaster blaster!" Whamon then said: "Tidal wave!" and conjured a gigantic wave that went way up into the sky! "Uh, Chitose… do you know what you're doing?" I asked nervously. The tidal wave then came crashing down and Ryuji, Yu, Yuri and I all braced ourselves… but it only affected the Eaters. When the wave disappeared, HippoGryphonmon then said: "Heat wave!" and breathed flames from his mouth at the Eaters. Shakkoumon then said: "Disaster blaster!" and his eyes started to glow before he fired lasers from them at the Eaters!

One of the Eater eyeballs then appeared to be using magic as red waves went up around itself and the other Eaters. The Eater Legion then made more red waves appear around itself and the Eater eyeballs and the last Eater eyeball then shot lasers at each of our Digimon! They didn't have any trouble recovering though. I then said: "Ciel, use silent bullet! Plesiomon, use sorrow blue!" and Ciel said: "Silent bullet!" and she shot at each Eater four times. Plesiomon then followed up and said: "Sorrow blue!" and made a blue sound wave from his mouth, which he sent in a sweep shot at the Eaters—and then the Eater eyeballs collapsed! "Alright! Now hit the Eater Legion with a divine dragon slash, Slayerdramon!" I said. Slayerdramon then leapt into the air and spun down as he said: "Divine dragon slash!" and slammed his sword down on the Eater Legion—and the Eater Legion took it much harder!

It seemed Yu noticed this too, because he said: "MarineAngemon, use hydro water 3 on the Eater Legion! Phantomon, Pandamon, follow up with soul chopper and animal nail!" and MarineAngemon said: "Hydro water 3!" and sprayed the Eater Legion with a forceful stream of water. Pandamon then said: "Animal nail!" and ran in and scratched the Eater Legion with his claws. He then backed away as Phantomon said: "Soul chopper!" and sliced at the Eater Legion with his scythe!

The Eater Legion then summoned two more Eaters like eyeballs before purple spots started to glow on its hive and it shot lasers at our Digimon! One of the Eaters like an eyeball then flew at Mastemon and tackled her eight times before flying back and the other Eater like an eyeball shot lasers at our Digimon. Chitose then said: "Whamon, use hydro water 3 on the Eater Legion! HippoGryphonmon, Shakkoumon, use heat wave and disaster blaster!" and HippoGryphonmon and Shakkoumon attacked with them again before Whamon said: "Hydro water 3!" and sprayed the Eater Legion with a forceful stream of water… but it recovered effortlessly from it again!

"Huh? What happened? Our attacks were working great a minute ago!" Chitose said. "The other Eaters… they must be fortifying the Eater Legion's defenses somehow. Why else would it call more back in after they went down so quickly?" I asked. "I think you're right… it looks like it'll just be a contest of attrition…" Erika said. We then kept fighting until the Eater Legion had called 8 Eaters in total and they had all fallen.

By this point, the Eater Legion was starting to fidget a bit… finally, it looked down at the fallen Eaters and said: "Graaaah! You pathetic little drones are WORTHLESS! You have completely failed me! Well I'm not going to tolerate any more of your incompetence! If you can't serve my needs in life… then you will serve a greater purpose—in death!"

And then it levitated the Eaters like eyeballs up and absorbed them into itself—and then there was a flash of light! When we could see again, it had changed—now its flesh was wrapped over Erika's tightly and it held a giant, gray, dual-edged scythe. It had long gray tentacles from behind its head like hair and some of its flesh was over Erika's head on her forehead—and there was a third eye there, in between Erika's eyes… Yuri looked disturbed as she said: "What just happened?!" I then scanned it and said: "It looks like it consumed its allies in order to evolve into something stronger… not that's going to stop us! Keep fighting!"

But then Erika said: "No! You can't… it's over now." and then we all whirled in her direction. Ryuji then said: "WHAT?! What are you saying?!" "It's assimilated me too completely for the process to be reversible anymore… if you destroy the Eater Legion now, I'll die with it and cease to exist…" Erika said. "What?! Are you sure?!" Wormmon asked. Erika then frowned as she said: "Look at it, Wormmon! It's wrapped around my body so tightly… it's past the point where it can be removed… Just get out of here… I'll keep it under control." "What?! So we're too late now?!" Yuri said. "Hehehe!" The Eater Legion said.

"Maybe not…" Wormmon began and then she turned to Erika as she said: "Erika, I have an idea of how we can fix this. Come with me, will you?" "Huh…?" Erika said. "What?! How about some details here, Wormmon?!" I asked. Wormmon then turned to me and sternly said: "Permission to speak frankly, leader?" Hearing that annoyed me a little… I then frowned as I said in a slightly annoyed fashion: "You don't have to ask like that, Wormmon. What is it?" "Just trust this to me for now; please just keep the Eater Legion busy until we've worked this out!" Wormmon replied. "Well… okay. The worst possible result would be to have to leave without Erika, after all…" I said. I then turned to everyone and said: "Let's do it! Stand your ground, everyone!"

We then had our Digimon defend and heal without harming the Eater legion until it was suddenly frozen in its current position! "Dyaaah! What is this?!" The Eater Legion said. "Huh? What happened?" Yu asked. "I hacked it and temporarily stopped its movement." Erika replied. We all then turned to her and she went on: "You don't have to worry anymore, everyone—Wormmon and I have a solution. I wanted you all to see it—it's important that you do." "Erika… what do you mean? What are you going to do?!" Ryuji asked.

"I'll show you…" Erika said. She then turned to Wormmon and said: "Do it, Wormmon!" and then Wormmon ran at Erika until she became a small white sphere and flew in a loop around Erika and entered Erika's projection! "What the…?!" Yu said and then I said: "She… she absorbed Wormmon?!" "Ah… I didn't think this would be so painful…" Erika said as she doubled over and began to ascend into the air! We all then said together: "ERIKA!" and there was a flash of light!

When we could see again, something completely different was in the air where Erika was: It was like a human teenage girl and a butterfly in the same body… she wore armor over her torso that was white on the front and silverish-purple on the back, along with silverish-purple arm armor that had that had yellow shoulder pads and elbow pads—she also wore a chartreuse fur scarf around her neck. Oddly enough, she had blue butterfly wings coming out of her hips that looked like a skirt that went down to her knees, except around the front where her thighs were completely exposed, but she wore silverish-purple high-heeled boots over her knees, calves and feet. She had a silverish-purple helm on her head with holes for her antennae, which were long and curved backwards and her eyes were visible, although they were solid, yellow bug eyes with no irises or pupils. She had long blue hair in the front that went down to her chest (and curled inward at the bottom) and enormous blue butterfly wings coming out of the back of her head. She looked 5'10 tall. I thought she was actually quite beautiful, although I wasn't sure what everyone else thought…

Yu then said: "What…?!" and Chitose and Ryuji then said: "ERIKA?" The creature then flew back down to the ground before us before I said: "Erika? Wormmon? Which are you now?" "I am actually both of them, although I am mostly Erika… my name is Hudiemon." The creature said. Ryuji looked like he could barely believe what was going on as he said: "Hold on a minute!" and then Hudiemon turned to him before he went on: "If that's true Erika, then… are you a Digimon now?!"

"Yes, that's right. When I… when Erika combined with Wormmon, my mental data was put into Wormmon's body. I supplied much of the mind while Wormmon supplied the flesh. And when that happened, Wormmon and I each inherited each other's qualities, both in body and mind. The result was me: Hudiemon. And as I mentioned before, I am more Erika than Wormmon, even though I am both in one. You could also think of it as a DNA digivolution between me and Wormmon, where I was the base." Hudiemon said. Ryuji then looked down as Chitose said: "Dang… I didn't see this coming…" "I'm sorry. I can understand why you're all so shocked. But you can trust me when I say this is for the best!" Hudiemon said.

"But there's still one thing I want to know…" I said as Hudiemon looked at me and said: "Yes, Keisuke?" "…You say you have Erika's mental data inside you… but what about her soul?" I asked. Hudiemon then smiled as she said: "I'm glad you care so much about me that you pay attention to that level of detail. Don't worry Keisuke—it's in here." and she put her hand on her chest. I then looked up and Hudiemon went on: "After all, stop and think about it for a moment—my mental data previously appeared before you in a phantasmal form. But data is data, isn't it? It couldn't have appeared before you on its own. The reason it was there was because my soul willed it to appear before you. And it was inside of that phantasm that was absorbed into my body. You don't have to worry; I am Erika, body and soul."

I then smiled as I said: "I'm glad you're all there, Erika… er, Hudiemon. It would have been so sad if a part of you would have been left behind to die. But now I can relax knowing it's the complete Erika." "Hee-hee! That's good to hear! And thanks for using my name!" Hudiemon said. But then we heard the Eater Legion say: "Graaaah!" and we all immediately turned our heads to it to see it could move again! "So it finally broke free…" Ryuji said. "At least it was at a good time!" Hudiemon said. She then turned to us and said: "This is our chance! Let's finish it off!"

"Huh? But Erika… your body—" Ryuji began and then Hudiemon said: "It doesn't matter! This is my body now! That body that the Eater Legion is wrapped around is now a corpse, without a trace of me. It's okay to destroy it—there's nothing left in there." "Well, she makes a good case." Chitose said. He then turned to me and said: "What do we do, leader?" "…As long as Erika's safely inside Hudiemon, there isn't anything to worry about anymore. That being said, let's get back to the mission! Let's go team—it's time to get serious!" I said.

We then called out our Digimon again (and I called out Angewomon, Dianamon and Lilithmon)… and Hudiemon flew in too! "ERIKA? You're going to fight too?" Ryuji asked. "Yes, because I can protect you now! Is there a problem?" Hudiemon asked. "Um… I would hate if anything happened to you though, Erika…" Chitose said. Hudiemon then turned to me and said: "You'll back me up on this, won't you, Keisuke?" I smiled and said: "Of course. You're part of the team. And I told the team it's time get serious." Hudiemon then smiled and said: "That's my pal Keisuke!" and then she turned to Ryuji and Chitose before she said: "Well it looks like your leader has given his orders! So I'll be happy to join you on the frontlines!"

Yuri then said: "Mastemon, start us off with a bang! Use chaos degradation! Rosemon, RustTyrannomon, use mental charge field and guard charge field!" and Mastemon said: "Chaos degradation!" and attacked with it again! Rosemon then said: "Mental charge field!" and boosted our Digimon with it again before RustTyrannomon said: "Guard charge field!" and boosted everyone with it too! Hudiemon then leapt up into the air and somersaulted forward as she said: "Flying kick!" and came down, kicking the Eater Legion in the face! Hudiemon then pushed off and flipped back to where she started. Ryuji then said: "Justimon, use justice kick! Groundramon, use scrapless claw! DoruGreymon, use metal meteor!" and Justimon and Groundramon attacked with their attacks again, while DoruGreymon said: "Metal meteor!" and he flew up high before he conjured a meteor-like rock and sent it flying down at the Eater Legion!

Yu then said: "MarineAngemon, use hydro water 3! Pandamon, use animal nail! Phantomon, use soul chopper!" and they all attacked with their attacks before I said: "Angewomon, prepare to block! Dianamon, use good night moon! Lilithmon, use phantom pain!" and Angewomon assumed a defensive position before Dianamon said: "Good night moon!" and she ascended into the air over the Eater Legion (and her boots began to glow with a bright white light) and her boots shined and the light hurt the Eater Legion! Dianamon then came down as the light subsided and Lilithmon said: "Phantom pain!" and she formed a magic circle with her hand before she blew motes from her mouth like a kiss at the Eater Legion and they crashed into it and hurt it a lot! Chitose then said: "Whamon, use hydro water 3! HippoGryphonmon, use sonic void 3! Shakkoumon, give it a holy light 3!" and Whamon attacked with it before HippoGryphonmon said: "Burst flame 3!" and made a fiery explosion burn the Eater Legion! Shakkoumon then followed up and said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where the Eater Legion was!

The Eater Legion then held its scythe so it was pointing vertically and then it radiated garnet-colored light as our Digimon were suddenly trapped in garnet-colored crystals! The Eater Legion then said: "Take this!" and it slammed the scythe on the ground before it emitted pulses at each Digimon's crystal, which flew to them and when they made contact with the crystal, the pulses shattered them and our Digimon took the hits hard!

"Ugh… I guess that kind of punishment is to be expected…" Chitose said before Hudiemon said: "Hang on! I can help with this! X-aura!" and she healed herself and our Digimon a lot! Ryuji then had his Digimon attack as they had last time before Chitose did the same… and then Yu did so too. I then said: "Angewomon, use holy light 3! Dianamon, use good night moon again! Lilithmon, use phantom pain again!" and Angewomon said: "Holy light 3!" before she made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where the Eater Legion was. Dianamon and Lilithmon then repeated their previous attacks. Yuri then said: "Mastemon, use nightmare 3! Rosemon, use aguichant levres! RustTyrannomon, use terror cluster!" And Mastemon said: "Nightmare 3!" before she made a blob of purple energy form at the Eater Legion's head and burst, knocking it down. Rosemon then said: "Aguichant levres!" and blew a laser from her lips like a kiss at the Eater Legion. RustTyrannomon then got down on all fours and pointed the cannon on his back at the Eater Legion as he said: "Terror cluster!" and fired lasers at it! The Eater Legion then leapt at MarineAngemon and started laughing as it went into a slashing frenzy, striking at MarineAngemon several times! MarineAngemon just barely recovered…

The battle continued for a while. The Eater Legion was a dangerous attacker, but we could keep things under control with our ability to heal and defend. Things kept going until eventually (when we all attacked together) the Eater Legion fell down on its back… and it was completely vaporized!

Ryuji looked downcast as he said: "So that's it…" and Hudiemon flew forward before where the Eater Legion had been (before it was vaporized) as she said: "Looks that way. Goodbye… my past self." Chitose then looked uneasy as he said: "Are you going to be okay, Erika?" Hudiemon quickly recovered and smiled as she said cheerfully: "Of course! Like I said, this is all for the best!"

She then put her index and middle fingers in a V-shape horizontally next to her left eye and her other hand on her hip before she said: "Well? The new me is pretty cool, huh?" "I'm still not sure what I think… it's mostly Erika's voice, but overall, she reminds me more of Wormmon…" Chitose said before he turned to Ryuji and said: "What do you make of this?" Ryuji then looked down as he said: "…Sorry, but I need a little time." "Well so would I, if my little sister had just turned into a Digimon! It's perfectly understandable!" Chitose replied. "I've got to admit, I don't know what to think either… after seeing a human become a Digimon… that's a little disorienting…" Yu said.

Hudiemon was starting to look discouraged now before she turned to me and said: "And what about you?" "I'm trying to find the right words… I really want to get it right on my first try…" I said. I then paused before I finally said: "Beautiful, yet awe-inspiring—" and Hudiemon smiled widely as I continued: "Cool, yet majestic… argh, I can't get it right…" but then (much to my surprise) Hudiemon put her fingers over my lips and giggled before she said: "I actually really liked how you said it the first time! I think you—" but then she took her fingers off of my lips and then said: "Actually, no. Keep trying to get it right. This will keep getting better by the minute, I'm sure!"

And then we all laughed together. Yuri then said: "I've got to say, I agree with Keisuke—you look amazing, Erika." "Hee-hee! Thanks for the support, Keisuke and Yuri!" Hudiemon said back. "Well at least Erika's okay, although the Eaters are still ruining EDEN…" Yu said. Hudiemon then said: "Right. We're going to need one heck of a plan to stop them…"

"Yu, give me an update—how many Eaters are left in EDEN?" I asked. Yu then pulled up a screen of data and soon he said: "…Well there were 1,000 Eaters when we entered EDEN, and with the Eater Legion and the eight Eater eyeballs gone… there are 991 left." "That's massive. We're going to need an extraordinary idea." Hudiemon said. Ryuji then turned to me and said: "So what now? We continue as planned?" "Exactly! Everyone—back up a few hundred yards!" I said.

We all then turned around and walked away—and soon Hudiemon caught up—as she said: "WHAT? You're going to leave them be?" "Not by a long shot. We just need to get out of earshot until I can tell you more." I said. We then continued until we had covered a fair bit of ground before Hudiemon said: "Okay, it looks like we're a few hundred yards away. Could you please tell me our plan now?"

I then grinned and said: "Of course I can! We're going to unleash the Odyssey virus! My latest masterpiece with the power to kill an Eater!" Hudiemon then looked stunned before she finally said: "You made a virus that can kill an Eater…?" "Yes! To be more specific, now that the Eaters are all converging on your memory server, I intend to inject the Odyssey virus into the memory server itself!" I began and then Hudiemon smiled and said: "Poison the well they're drinking out of and watch them drop like flies! The ultimate trojan horse! I like it!"

I smiled and then said: "I'm glad you're behind our plan too, Hudiemon. Anyway, once I infect the server, the Eaters will die en masse and we can hunt down any stragglers. Then EDEN will be saved!" "Sounds easy enough!" Hudiemon said. "Yup!" I said as I pulled up a screen of data. I then started typing on it until I said: "Now then…it's about time to get started. Eaters—THIS IS YOUR ODYSSEY!" I then pressed a key and sent the Odyssey virus into the server. Soon it was injected into it! A few seconds later, the ground started to rumble! "Whoa! What's going on?" Yu asked. The ground rumbled again before Yuri asked: "Is it… supposed to do that, Keisuke?" the ground then rumbled again… and then the shell the Eaters had put on the memory server started to melt off! It hissed as it hit the ground and melted away into nothing—the memory server had at last been returned to normal!

Chitose then smiled widely as he said: "That did it! Erika's memory server is saved!" and we all celebrated… except for Hudiemon, who oddly didn't look like she cared too much… I then said: "Chitose! Give me an update—how many Eaters are left in EDEN?" Chitose then pulled up a screen of data and started typing on it before he smiled widely and said: "…Oh this is fantastic!" "What is?" Hudiemon asked. "When Keisuke was preparing to sic the Odyssey virus on the memory server, there were 991 Eaters in EDEN. Now there are only 20 left!" Chitose said. We all then cheered together before Hudiemon turned to me and said: "That virus you made really works, Keisuke… it's so powerful, I'm speechless." "Heh-heh! Thanks, Hudiemon!" I said.

Chitose then continued using the screen of data before he said: "But it looks like we're not out of the woods yet, though…" and then I said: "What? What do you mean?" "I think they've figured out what happened… the Eaters are all converging on our location!" Chitose said. "Where are they coming from? How are they distributed?" I asked. "There are two groups of 5 Eaters, one group of 4 Eaters and two groups of 3 Eaters. They're all coming from different directions, in the shape of a star." Chitose replied. Ryuji then turned to me and said: "So what's our plan, leader?"

"Simple: strike before stricken! We'll split into separate groups, lie in wait en route to where the Eaters are going and launch an ambush, taking them down!" I said. "Great idea! So who gets what group of Eaters?" Yu asked. I then turned to Yuri and said: "Yuri, I'm sending you after one of the groups of 5. You're my go-to girl. It's a big job, but I know you can handle it." "Yes sir!" Yuri said back. Next, I turned to Chitose and said: "Chitose, you take one of the groups of 3." "You're the boss!" Chitose said. After that, I turned to Yu and said: "Yu, I want you to attack the group of 4." "You bet! I won't let you down, Keisuke!" Yu said. Then I turned to Ryuji and Hudiemon and said: "Ryuji and Hudiemon—I want you both to attack the other group of 5. I'll take the last group of 3. Any questions?"

Hudiemon then smiled and I said: "What is it, Hudiemon?" "It might sound silly, but I'm glad you're giving me orders like everyone else… it reinforces your point that I'm still part of the team." She said back. "Of course! You are an important part of our team and you will always be a part of Hudie. It doesn't matter that you're a Digimon." I said. Hudiemon then smiled and Ryuji said: "One more thing… permission to speak frankly, leader?" and then I frowned and said: "Not you too!" and everyone laughed before Hudiemon giggled and muttered: "Wow, I've got to remember to use that one!"

I then sighed as I said: "Granted… what is it?" "I think you should go with Erika to fight the group of 5." Ryuji said. "Hmm?" I said. He then went on: "After all, your Digimon are really good attackers, but they took the most damage in that last battle. But Erika is really good at healing and support. In that sense, I think you compliment each other better and would do better together. Let me handle the group of 3." I then paused and said: "No great leader makes all of the decisions for their team…" and then I paused before I said: "Alright, we'll go with it. Then you go on and take down the other group of 3 Eaters, Ryuji." And then I turned to Hudiemon as I said: "And Hudiemon—you're with me. Alright team! Break!" and we all went off to our targets.

As Hudiemon and I went off to the group of 5 Eaters we were targeting, Hudiemon said: "I can't believe what an epic hacker you've become since I last saw you, Keisuke… I'm amazed." I smiled and said: "Thank you, Hudiemon. Since I was working so hard the entire time, I guess I didn't really notice how far I came as well as everyone else—" and then she said: "You really have, though! I mean, think about it—you created a virus that can kill an Eater. That is huge—that's something no one else has ever done, or even attempted. The fact that you succeeded alone makes you a legend-class hacker." I smiled and said: "Thanks, Hudiemon."

And then she continued: "But that's not all either… you're really a great leader too. I think you're doing better than Ryuji did…" and then I said: "Do you really think so? I'm only doing what comes naturally to me—" "But it's really, really good. When Ryuji was in charge, his style was pretty hands-off; he would identify what needed to be done, assign who was going to do what and let them do their own thing. You're always keeping a close eye on everyone and using everyone's talents in real time every step of the way. It's a much more dynamic way to manage the team… everyone made the right choice in making you the leader, Keisuke." Hudiemon said.

I then smiled as I said: "Thank you, Hudiemon! You're too kind!" and then we laughed together before I said: "Well as much as I appreciate your praise, we'd better hurry—the Eaters are on their way." "Right. Alright, let's go, leader!" Hudiemon said. And then we ran off to intercept our targets!

When we made it further in, I pulled up a screen of data and began to check where the Eaters we were targeting were. Hudiemon then said: "How much further do we have to go?" Soon I finished and said: "We're actually pretty close… now we just need to find a place to hide while we wait for them to come by…" and then I pointed to a nearby booth and said: "Like there." "Agreed. Alright, let's get in position!" Hudiemon said. I called out Ouryumon, Plesiomon and Lilithmon and we hid behind a corner of it and I peeked out from the side to see if the Eaters were coming.

We waited for a while… and I soon saw two regular Eaters, two humanoid Eaters and an Eater eyeball coming up! I then moved my head behind the corner and whispered: "They're here!" Hudiemon nodded and leapt up into the air before she said: "Infinity dream!" and began to scatter aquamarine-colored dust from her wings at the Eaters! It engulfed them and some of the Eaters looked sickened, others looked overcome by pain and one even looked flustered! My Digimon and I then came running out and I said: "Ouryumon, rip through one of the humanoid Eaters! Eiseiryuoujin! Plesiomon, use sorrow blue! Lilithmon, use mental charge field!" and Lilithmon said: "Mental charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted everyone's damage output with magic attacks and everyone's damage resistance to magic. Ouryumon then flew over to one of the humanoid Eaters and said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and slashed at it with his cutlasses! Plesiomon then said: "Sorrow blue!" and made a blue sound wave from his mouth, which he sent in a sweep shot at the Eaters!

One of the regular Eaters then lashed out at the Eater eyeball and hit it with its tentacles. The humanoid Eater Ouryumon didn't hit then had waves of data emerge around it… before it recoiled. It looks like Hudiemon's poison was going to good effect! I then said: "Lilithmon, use phantom pain on the regular Eater that isn't flustered!" and Lilithmon said: "Phantom pain!" and made a magic circle with her hand before she blew motes from her mouth like a kiss at it. The Eater took it really hard! Hudiemon then said: "Flying kick!" and leapt up and somersaulted forward as she came down, kicking the Eater like an eyeball in the eye and then she pushed off and flew back to us. The Eater like an eyeball then flew at Lilithmon really fast and bashed into her eight times before it flew back to the Eaters—she looked really hurt from it, too! The regular Eater that wasn't flustered then thrust its tentacles at Lilithmon and wrapped them around her before it retracted them and looked like it felt a little better… before it recoiled. The humanoid Eater who hadn't acted yet then doubled over in pain—it looks like Hudiemon paralyzing it was working great! I then said: "Plesiomon, use status barrier on yourself! Ouryumon, use critical charge on yourself!" and then Plesiomon said: "Status barrier!" and made a purple barrier appear in front of himself to protect him from bad statuses and from having his attributes reduced. Ouryumon then said: "Critical charge!" and cast a spell on himself to make it easier for him to identify enemy weak points.

Hudiemon then said: "Okay Lilithmon, hang on! X-aura!" and she healed herself and all of my Digimon! The Eater like an eyeball then rushed at Lilithmon again, but as soon as I saw it, I said: "Lilithmon, get ready to block!" and she assumed a defensive position before the Eater struck at her eight times—but she had much less trouble recovering this time! The regular Eater that was flustered then struck the regular Eater that wasn't flustered with its tentacles. One of the humanoid Eaters then thrust its arms at Ouryumon and wrapped them around him, squeezing hard, before it retracted them… and then recoiled from the poison. The other humanoid Eater tried to hit Ouryumon with a slap of his arm, but Ouryumon simply evaded it. The other regular Eater then wrapped its tentacles around Hudiemon and squeezed her before it retracted them and looked like it felt better… before recoiling from poison. I then said: "Ouryumon, hit the humanoid Eater you attacked before with Eiseiryuoujin!" and Ouryumon said: "Eiseiryuoujin!" and slashed at the humanoid Eater with his cutlasses… and then it fell over and collapsed! I smiled and said: "That's the way! Now Plesiomon, blast them with Sorrow blue!" and Plesiomon said: "Sorrow blue!" and did another sweep shot with the blue sound wave… and wiped out both of the regular Eaters!

The Eater like an eyeball then looked like it was about to attack… before it was overcome by pain and stopped. The humanoid Eater then ran back up to Ouryumon and slapped him, this time successfully… and then Ouryumon turned into an 8-bit version of himself! That must be the dot status condition… how annoying. I then called Ouryumon back and sent in BlackWarGreymon as I said: "Plesiomon, use status barrier on Hudiemon! BlackWarGreymon, use black tornado on the humanoid Eater! Lilithmon, use another mental charge field!" and Plesiomon said: "Status barrier!" and made a protective purple barrier appear in front of Hudiemon too. "Thanks!" Hudiemon said before Lilithmon said: "Mental charge field!" and further powered up our side and made the duration of the boosts on the Digimon who had already been powered up reset for how long they would be effective. BlackWarGreymon said: "Black tornado!" and he positioned his claws in front of him and then spun rapidly (like a drill) and crashed into the Eater that had hit Ouryumon! It then just barely got up.

Hudiemon then said: "Mental charge field!" and further powered us up! I then said: "BlackWarGreymon, use guard charge field! Plesiomon, follow up with sorrow blue!" and BlackWarGreymon said: "Guard charge field!" and boosted our side's damage resistance to non-magic attacks! Plesiomon then said: "Sorrow blue!" and did a sweep shot with that blue sound wave. The Eater like an eyeball then rushed at Hudiemon and crashed into her eight times! Hudiemon got up (but looked really hurt) and it went back to its side as the humanoid Eater… was overcome by pain and couldn't move. I then said: "Lilithmon, help Hudiemon! Use final heal!" and Lilithmon then said: "Final heal!" and fully restored Hudiemon's health!

Hudiemon then said: "Flying kick!" and hit the Eater like an eyeball back. I then said: "Okay, it's time to end this! BlackWarGreymon, use black tornado on the humanoid Eater! Lilithmon, use phantom pain on the Eater like an eyeball! Plesiomon, sorrow blue!" and they all attacked the Eaters with them… and they collapsed!

Hudiemon then came down and said: "Woo-hoo! We did it!" and I smiled and said: "We sure did." And we gave each other high fives before I said: "Now that we've finished, I'm going to call the others and see how they're doing. I'll let you know where we stand when I'm done." And Hudiemon nodded before I started by calling Yuri. I heard her say: "Yes, Keisuke?" "Hi Yuri! What's your status? Hudiemon and I just finished our battle, so we thought we'd check on you." I said. "Everything's under control, Keisuke! We're going to be done soon! You don't have to worry!" Yuri said.

I smiled and said: "That's great! Alright, then stand your ground and wipe them out!" "Yes sir!" Yuri said. We then hung up and I moved on to call Yu. "Hey Keisuke! What is it?" He asked. "Hi Yu. I was calling to check on how you were doing." I said. "I'm actually done with my group of Eaters! What should I do now?" Yu asked. "Good man! Alright, then stand by for further orders, because I need to contact some more people." I said. "Alright!" Yu said. I then called Chitose and he said: "Hey Keisuke. Is everything okay?" "It sure is! Hudiemon and I are done with our group, so what's your status?" I asked. "I'm still fighting the Eaters… it's going slow and steady, but we can win. Don't worry." Chitose said. "Alright, then stand by. I'll see if I can send someone to help." I said. "Roger that! Thank you!" Chitose said. Finally, I called Ryuji. When he answered, he said: "Hey, Keisuke…" "Hi Ryuji! How goes the attack?" I asked. "…Both sides are losing health quickly. I'm not sure how much more my Digimon can take…" Ryuji said. "…I see… well—given your position—Yu is the closest one of us to you, and since he's done, I'll send him to help you. Hold on until then and do whatever it takes to survive!" I said. "Understood! Thanks, leader!" Ryuji said.

I then called Yu and told him to help Ryuji. Then I turned to Hudiemon and said: "It sounds like Chitose could use some help finishing off the Eaters, so our next course of action is to go help him—he's not too far away, so it won't take too long to reach him." "Okay! Let's go!" Hudiemon said.

We then hurried to Chitose's position. But along the way, I got a call! I checked and saw it was from Yuri! I picked it up and said: "Hello?" "Yuri here! I just finished off the Eaters! What can I do now?" Yuri asked. I smiled and said: "Good job, Yuri! But to answer your question, since everyone's helping everyone else right now, nothing is really urgent… that's why I want you to go to the server and guard it, in case anything gets through." "Okay! See you when you're done, then!" Yuri said. "You better bet you will! See you soon!" I said. We then hung up and Hudiemon and I ran off to help Chitose.

Eventually we arrived, and saw Chitose was still okay! "Chitose!" I said. He then turned around and said: "Alright! I'm glad to see some backup came!" We then approached him and Hudiemon said: "They don't stand a chance now! Now let's finish them off!" and we nodded and fought the Eaters. A little way into the fight though, I heard my phone ring and I said: "Hold on—I've got to take this call." and I picked it up and said: "Hello?" I then heard Ryuji's voice say: "Hey Keisuke. This is Ryuji." "Ryuji! I'm glad to hear from you! Did Yu arrive in time?" I asked. "Yes he did. And we just finished off the Eaters!" Ryuji said. I then smiled and said: "Great job! Then you should both head back to the memory server and meet up with Yuri. Stand by for further orders until further notice." "Understood. Thank you!" Ryuji said. We then hung up and I resumed the fight, but it was a cinch—we wiped the Eaters out pretty quick! Chitose then smiled and said: "Thanks, you two. That was way easier with you helping!" "You're welcome. You did a good job weakening them though, Chitose—there's nothing easier to beat down than a pre-weakened target!" I said.

I then went on: "Now let me see if there are any Eaters left…" and then I pulled up a screen of data and checked… and there weren't! There were 0 Eaters in EDEN…it was Eater-free! I then smiled and said: "YES! Mission complete!" "Then we really…?!" Hudiemon said and I said: "Yes! The Eaters have been vanquished!" and Chitose grinned widely while Hudiemon clapped her hands together and said: "Great! We really did it!" "We did. And it all came together through teamwork!" I said.

I then went on: "Well, let me update the others. Just give me a moment…" and then I called Yuri and she said: "Hello, Yuri here." "Hi Yuri! I've got some great news—the Eaters have been vanquished! We got them all!" I said. "Ya-HOO! That's great!" Yuri said. "It sure is! In the meantime, just sit tight—Hudiemon, Chitose and I will all be heading back to the memory server to rendezvous with you." I said. "Alright! We'll see you when you arrive!" Yuri said. We then hung up.

As we went back to the memory server, we could see EDEN was gradually returning to normal without the Eaters here… it was amazing how fast it could heal itself. When we made it back, EDEN had fully recovered and I waved at Yuri, Ryuji and Yu as Yu waved back and we all approached each other! Ryuji then said: "We heard the news from Yuri—it sounds like we've got them all?" "That's right! EDEN has been saved from the Eaters!" I said. We all then celebrated before Yu said: "That was one heck of a race to the finish… but it was really exciting too. I'm glad." "And your memory server is safe too, Erika! It was an all-around victory!" Chitose said. "…Yes, about that… I had a special request I wanted to make." Hudiemon said. "And what's that?" I asked.

"I want you to destroy it." Hudiemon said. "HUH?!" Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri, Yu and I all said before Ryuji said: "But Erika… your memories—" and then Hudiemon said: "You don't have to worry about that anymore—they're up in my head now and they're safe there. Now that my brain can function normally, I don't need the memory server anymore. But more than that, the memories recorded inside that server are my private memories—I don't want a hacker or a staff member behaving inappropriately at Kamishiro to get in there and get to peek at those memories. They're mine, and I don't want them to be anything else. So please destroy it… do it as a favor to me."

"Well she makes a fair point… what do you say, Keisuke?" Yuri asked. "Yeah… anyone would want their memories to be private and secure, after all. Alright then team, let's blow that memory server up!" I said. They all nodded and then we hacked the memory server and set it up to self-destruct! When we were done with that, I said: "Okay, it's going to blow in 5 minutes! Let's get away from here!" and we all ran off. We got as far away as we could before we heard an explosion in the distance! We then returned to the memory server and saw it had been destroyed!

Hudiemon cheered and we all followed in suit before Yu said: "Well now that we've destroyed the memory server, it looks like there's nothing left for us to do in EDEN…" "Yup. I guess all that leaves is what we're going to do next… does anyone have any suggestions?" I asked. "Permission to speak frankly, leader?" Hudiemon asked. I then looked up and shrugged as I said: "Does everyone have to do this?!" as I heard everyone else laugh. I then said: "Alright, fine… what is it?"

"I want us all to go on an adventure together in the Digital World. I think it'd be so fun, getting to see new sights and explore places no one's ever been to before! We'd be the first team to really make our mark there! What does everyone think?" Hudiemon asked. "That sounds like a great idea! Going to uncharted territory would be so exciting!" Yuri said. "And we could get in using the same method as last time..." Yu said. "I agree! Alright, let's head to Kowloon and see if we can find a rift!" I said.

We then logged out of EDEN and into Kowloon level 1. We went into Galacta Park and didn't see a rift there right now… "Aw darn. It looks like it's not open for entry…" Yuri said. Hudiemon then said: "Hold on…" and pulled up a screen of data. She started typing on it before a rift suddenly appeared! "Great work, Hudiemon! Alright, let's get in there and start exploring together!" I said. Everyone then cheered as we then entered the rift to the Digital World!

When we arrived, we saw it—the trees were green, the ground was covered with grass and the sky was blue with clouds scattered about… it was beautiful! Hudiemon then smiled and flew forward as she said: "Wooow! It's so beautiful! It's just as fantastic as I hoped!" "It is a lovely place… and to think of all the other surprises that are doubtlessly in store…!" Yu said. "Right! Let's go ahead, team! The open road awaits!" I said. We all smiled and then Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri, Yu and I each called out all of our Digimon as we began to explore.

We made our way through the forest, seeing some curious Digimon as we went, but they didn't seem to mind seeing us here. Hudiemon loved going through every step of the way, too—she looked really happy! Eventually, we saw some bushes in our path. We then pushed through them… and saw Simon, Nokia, Arata and Yuuko on the other side, along with a little boy and an amazingly tall Digimon, clad in white armor! It seemed they noticed us first though, because they were looking in our direction as soon as we saw them…

We then made it out into the clearing and I then said: "Oh hey, Simon, Nokia, Arata, Yuuko! I didn't know you guys were all here!" "Likewise, Keisuke! I'm surprised to see you out here—" Simon began, but then Arata said: "Ryuji!" And ran up to him before he said: "I can't believe it! I thought you had EDEN Syndrome?" and then Ryuji smiled and said: "I did. But thanks to all of my friends here, I woke up a long time ago." Arata then turned to us and said: "Dang… you guys sure make better medics than those clowns at Central Hospital then…" before he turned back to Ryuji and said: "But I'm just so glad to see you've recovered! I'm glad all my friends are recovering from all the damages those Eaters have inflicted…"

Ryuji then grinned as I turned to Simon and said: "So what are you doing here, Simon? I'm surprised to see you here!" "We originally came to help some of the Royal Knights get to King Drasil—that's the host computer that created the Digital World—but it turned out the Eater's leader had assimilated King Drasil! So we beat it down and it's in the process of being kicked out of the Digital World for good now!" Simon said. "Huh?! Really?!" I asked. "Yeah! But the Eater's leader isn't the only one… all the Eaters are being sent away from the Digital World and Earth, so their reign of terror will soon be nothing more than a distant memory!" Simon said. "Aw, that's great!" I said back.

Simon nodded before he said: "What about you, Keisuke? How did you get here?" "We wanted to explore the Digital World a little, so we came through a rift in Galacta Park to get here!" I said back. "Ah. I suppose that makes sense… after all, all Digimon did the same thing to get into Kowloon." The armored Digimon said. We all then looked at him before Nokia stepped in and said: "This is Omnimon, my partner Digimon! He's pretty cool, isn't he?" "Got that right…" Yu said.

Nokia then grinned as I then said: "So how about it, Simon? Do you want to join us on our adventure?" Simon then grinned and said: "Yeah. I think that's a good idea! After all, we wanted to look around at the Digital World before we leave, too!" "Then it's decided! Let's go, everyone!" I said. "Yeah! It'll be an expedition by Hudie, the Heroes' Network, the Judes and the Zaxons all in one!" Nokia said. We all then laughed as we continued down the path ahead together. We enjoyed our company as we went along together… but then we heard some rustling in the foliage ahead of us!

We all then turned to the noise and soon something massive came out from the bushes and trees… it was a tall Digimon that was gigantic, humanoid and walked on two legs. It wore an entirely black suit of armor with bronze edges around the feet, knees, hips, shoulders, wrists and elbows. It had a red gem in between its yellow eyes and black pointed ears sticking out of the top of its head. It had black and bronze metallic wing-like adornments coming out of its back (and facing down) and a blue cape bound around its neck. It looked 13 feet tall… "What's THAT?" Chitose asked. As if he didn't hear him, Simon then ran up to the gigantic creature and said: "Alphamon! It's so good to see you!" but the creature—Alphamon—looked depressed… Simon then stopped and said: "Hey… what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Alphamon then looked up and said: "…Simon… I'm so glad I found you. I was worried you had left the Digital World." Simon then smiled and said: "Of course not! You think I'd leave without saying goodbye to you?" Alphamon then smiled a little before Simon said: "So is that all that had you down?" and then Alphamon shook her head before she said: "No. There is something I must tell you."

We all then looked at each other, confused, before Alphamon went on: "This is going to be a long explanation, so listen carefully. To start, King Drasil has done something wonderful. He has—" but before Alphamon could finish, we saw colorful data particles flying through the sky! "Wow! It's so beautiful…" Yuuko said. "Alphamon… what is that?" Arata asked. "That is the human mental data that was eaten by the Eaters. King Drasil has extracted it all and is sending it back to your world, where all of it will be returned to the rightful owners…" Alphamon said.

"Hang on! Does that mean that will heal EDEN Syndrome? And that Simon, Yuugo and everyone else with EDEN Syndrome will wake up?" Arata asked. "Yes, exactly. Every sufferer of EDEN Syndrome will awaken and be saved. Naturally, that includes Kyoko Kuremi as well, so she will cease to be my host and have any ties to me." Alphamon said. Simon, Nokia, Yuuko, Arata and that boy—Yuugo—all celebrated when they heard this. As for me… I was shocked to hear Simon had EDEN Syndrome all this time, yet somehow could still do all he had done… and that that poison-brewing cyber sleuth had some connection to this Digimon!

Alphamon then went on: "…But that isn't all. As you can see, King Drasil has started to restore the Digital World to the way it used to be, several years ago. But in order to completely do that, he must remove all foreign objects from the Digital World." We all then looked down and Nokia said: "So we're going to be kicked out soon…" but then she looked up and said: "But that doesn't matter as long as we can get back in through Kowloon, right?"

Alphamon then paused before she said: "No, I'm afraid it's not that simple…" "HUH?" We all said. Alphamon then went on: "I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but… King Drasil intends to rebuild the dimensional barrier that Crusadermon destroyed and fortify it to be even stronger so nothing can get through… on either side. In other words, this is the end of our relationship. Once King Drasil sends you home, it will be goodbye for good."

We all then immediately looked down. So we weren't ever going to see any of our Digimon again…? I then slowly raised my head and saw Lilithmon looking melancholy as she looked at me and said: "Master…" and then she started to cry as she said: "I'll never see you again!" and buried her face into my shoulder. I then hugged her and said: "I don't think it's going to be that way… deep down, I know it—we'll see each other again someday." "Yeah! I think so too!" Hudiemon said. As if she didn't hear us, Alphamon then went on: "King Drasil isn't ready to send you home yet, but he will be soon… so these will be our last moments together. Use them well."

We all then spent the rest of our time together. It was hard to stay cheerful (especially when our Digimon were so miserable…) but I tried anyway—I wanted to be strong for them. Simon and the others were also spending time with their Digimon too—I even saw one moment where Alphamon approached Simon and held out her hand to him (and he prepared to take it) before she retracted it, paused, and then collapsed into a kneeling position and hugged him instead! Eventually, we then saw Simon, Nokia, Yuuko, Yuugo and Arata then start to ascend into the air! "It looks like our time has come…" Yuuko said. Arata nodded and then they said goodbye to their Digimon and thanked them for everything before they kept going higher and higher and eventually vanished…

Hudiemon then flew towards us and said: "Well, it looks like we're going to be apart for a while… but don't worry! I know we'll see each other again—" but then she stopped. We all then looked around and soon saw why—Ryuji was looking down and crying… "Ryuji…" Hudiemon said. But then we started to feel it… we were ascending into the air too! Ryuji then looked up and said: "ERIKA!" and grabbed her hand before Hudiemon said: "Let go, Ryuji! If you hang on, you'll be stuck here!" "But… I don't want to be left behind again! First mom and dad died and I had to say goodbye to them… it was hard, but I had you to help me then. But now I have to say goodbye to you, too…! I don't want to be the only Mishima left! I don't want to be on my own!" Ryuji said. "But you're not! You have Hudie! And don't worry—like I said, we'll meet again!" Hudiemon said.

Ryuji then hesitated before Hudiemon said: "Everyone else needs you, Ryuji. Be there for them until we meet again—let go." Ryuji then sighed before he said: "Erika… I don't know how you could be so strong at a time like this…" and then he finally let go as he smiled at her and said: "But I know you'll be okay! Goodbye, Erika! And have fun during all your adventures here!" Ryuji then turned to his Digimon and said: "And goodbye, everyone. You always did me proud and I'm glad I knew you." Hudiemon then smiled and Chitose said: "Heh-heh! That's a brother's blessing for you! I know you'll do a great job, Erika! And have a lot of fun!" He then turned to his Digimon and said: "And you all take care too! It was a lot of fun being with all of you!"

Yu then said: "It's too bad I couldn't get to know you more, Erika… but you were really neat. I hope you—no, I know you'll enjoy yourself here!" He then said to his Digimon: "And so long, everybody! Thanks for always being there for me! It was a lot of fun being with all of you!" Yuri then said: "Bye, Erika! I hope you enjoy every day here!" and then she turned to her Digimon and said: "And I'll miss all of you too! Hacking won't be as fun without you, but don't worry—I'll manage!"

I then smiled and said to my Digimon: "I'm going to miss you all a lot—you all were my precious partners. But I'm not worried about you—I know you'll do great here! Make sure you seize every day and don't worry—I know we'll see each other again!" and then I turned to Hudiemon and said: "And Hudiemon… I'll miss you too. You were a fantastic friend. But I'm not worried about you either—I know you can handle this. Look out for my Digimon while I'm gone, will ya? See you next time!"

Our Digimon all then waved to us as Hudiemon said: "Everyone…" and then she said: "I love you all! I know you'll be alright! I can't wait to see you again!" and then we kept going higher and higher until we were in a pink-and-white passageway of data… we kept going until we reached a shining light in the distance. When we went into it, we were back in the Nakano Underpass… back on Earth.

It was odd… in some ways, it felt harder to be back… but I knew we'd meet our Digimon again. And I was going to be looking forward to it every day until it came!


	58. Simon: CHAI Disorder

Simon Chapter 31— CHAI Disorder—

When we were all forced out of the Digital World, we went back into the pink-and-white passageway of data we had come in through! We kept going until we came up on a shining light in the distance! "It looks like we're going to be home in a matter of moments…" Arata said. "Yeah. And I'll finally have a body again… Before I became imprisoned in the Mother Eater, I never thought that being in one would be so different…" Yuugo said. Yuuko smiled and said: "You'll get used to it in no time, I'm sure!" We were getting really close now and then Nokia said: "Well this is it! Time to go home!" and I nodded. We then entered the light…

But what I experienced next was a surprise: I didn't log out… instead I felt myself waking up… in a hospital room. And Nokia, Arata, Yuuko and Yuugo weren't anywhere to be found… I was surprised I didn't log out at first, but then I remembered: Alphamon said everyone with EDEN Syndrome was going to wake up… so I had simply been returned to my body… and Yuugo will be too. Even so, I hope that this won't scare Nokia, Arata and Yuuko too much…

I then sat up and tried to walk out, but as I did, I stumbled and fell! I then got up and said: "Ow… what the…?" and I tried walking again, but just stumbled again and fell. I guess it's been a while since I used my actual legs, but I was hoping that I would be able to get up and leave right away… I then heard a nurse come in and she said: "Oh! You shouldn't be getting out of bed in your condition! Here—let me help you." And she helped walk me back to the hospital bed.

When I was back in it, she said: "Lie down and rest for now—you're going to need to undergo some rehabilitation before you can be discharged." "You're kidding, right? My flight home is in five days! I can't miss it!" I said. "I'm sorry, but we can't discharge you until you've recovered. Please be patient." The nurse said. She then left as I leaned back and groaned. I needed to get home, but they wouldn't let me leave until I recovered? How long was that going to take…?

The next day, I kept lying around until I heard a knock at the door and the nurse from yesterday came in. "Hey… what's going on?" I asked. "I remembered your situation, and we'll do everything we can to help you recover in time. You'll be starting your rehabilitation today and I have some good news about that as well—someone has volunteered to help you recover." The nurse replied. "Someone volunteered…? Like who?" I asked.

The nurse then gestured for someone to come in and I saw who it was: Nokia! I then smiled and said: "Nokia… I'm glad it was you." She then smiled back and said: "Hee-hee! Yup! Looks like you're stuck with me!" "I'll give you two some time to catch up with each other. Come out when you're ready." The nurse said. She then left the room and I said to Nokia: "I hope I didn't give you, Arata or Yuuko too much of a scare when I wasn't there—" and then Nokia said: "Yeah… we were really worried at first, but it didn't take us long to figure out what happened." "So where are Arata and Yuuko?" I asked. "They're helping Yuugo with his rehabilitation." Nokia answered. "Wow…" I said. Nokia then went on: "Yeah… I hope he's doing okay, but I couldn't leave you to fend for yourself, so I volunteered to help you. Besides, I doubt Arata and Yuuko need the help."

I smiled when I heard this… she was as sweet as ever. I then said: "I appreciate that! By the way, there's something I should tell you about him—come here, will you Nokia?" She then came next to me and said: "Okay… what?" And then I pulled her down! "Whoa!" Nokia said as she landed on top of me. I then hugged her as I said: "I'm going to miss you when this is all over… you've been a great friend." I then felt her hug me back and it lasted for a little while before she looked down at me and said: "I know what you mean… I'm really going to miss you too. We had a lot of fun together while you were here, raising Digimon, saving people, solving mysteries and forming the Heroes' Network… I'm glad you gave me my locket pendant, because I'll be looking at it." Then we smiled and then Nokia got off of me as she said: "Still, you've audacity to spare, pulling a trick like that! Just for that, your rehab begins now, buster!" I laughed and said: "Alright then. Put me through my paces as much as you need to—I need to get better now!"

I'm glad Nokia had volunteered to help with my rehabilitation, because it was a lot more fun with her supporting and coaching me. In the end, it took three days, but I managed to recover just barely enough to be discharged from the hospital—and so did Yuugo! Now I wasn't going to miss my flight!

The next day, I went to the airport with Nokia, Arata, Yuugo and Yuuko—they had insisted that I bring them with me, which I was all for. A little before my flight was ready to depart, we all prepared to say goodbye.

Arata started by coming up to me and we shook hands as he said: "You've been a great friend, Simon. I'm really glad you came here—you really saved me more than once and were truly loyal… maybe it's even accurate to say you helped me grow up a bit…I hope your friends realize how lucky they are to have a friend like you." and then I smiled and said: "I'm glad I could support you like that, Arata. You really are brave and loyal too though—great minds think alike, huh?" and we laughed together before he said: "Yeah, I guess so. Well, thanks for coming to Japan. Let's stay in touch, yeah?" "Of course! I'll be happy to keep in touch with all of you!" I said back.

Arata then backed up before Yuugo came up and said: "I'm sorry we didn't get to talk much while you were here Simon, but thank you so much for saving me from the Mother Eater. I owe you a great deal for that—" and then I said: "It's my pleasure, Yuugo! I'm happy I could free you from that nightmare and give you your life back—that's thanks enough." Yuugo then smiled as he went on: "Thanks Simon. Well even though we didn't get to talk very much, I can still tell that you're a person worth knowing. I'm looking forward to having the chance to learn more about you when we stay in touch." And I said: "Same to you, Yuugo!"

And then he backed up before Yuuko approached me and shook my hand. She then said: "Thanks for everything, Simon… it was a lot of fun getting to know you and go on the adventures we did. You really helped me build up my confidence and feel better about myself and I will always appreciate that. You were a great friend too. Take care on your trip home." I then smiled and said: "Thanks, Yuuko. It was a lot of fun getting to know you as well. I know you'll do a great job in the future. Just be sure to be yourself—you do your best work that way."

Yuuko then smiled and backed up before Nokia paused and ran up to me and hugged me before she said: "Thanks for being such an amazing friend, Simon… I won't forget you. You'll come back to Japan someday, won't you?" "Of course I will! I'll be excited to see all that you've done and experienced when I do! And we can always see each other in the hall of heroes, Nokia!" I said. Nokia then smiled and I heard the boarding call for my flight before I said: "Well, it looks like I've got to go now… goodbye everyone. And don't worry! I'll be back!" And then they all smiled. I then started to board the plane and then turned around and waved at them before I went in.

The flight home felt longer than I thought it would… after all I had experienced, it was almost hard to leave Japan, but at the same time, I was excited to catch up with my family too. When I got home, they were so happy to see me; they all came up and hugged me and were excited to hear about how everything went. I was glad I had been keeping up with them while I was in Japan; it made it a lot less awkward than it would be otherwise. As I recounted my adventures, they enjoyed hearing everything I had to say and they actually believed everything I told them about the Digimon—apparently some really had made it here, too! It felt good to be back as we caught up with each other.

From there, things increasingly returned to normal; after I caught up with my family, I caught up with my friends here and I started to attend a university, all while keeping up with Nokia, Arata, Yuuko and Yuugo. Eventually, life settled down into a more comfortable rhythm as things got back to normal and I continued my studies. I got used to things feeling so normal for a long time until it had been a little over a year and a half… and then something extraordinary happened:

It was the first day of spring break… I enjoyed having the first of my days off and that evening, I felt my phone vibrate… it said Nokia wanted to have a Facetime session with me. I smiled and took it, but I was shocked at what I saw next: it wasn't Nokia on the other end… it was Magnamon! He was in that pit we had been in with the Mother Eater!

I was so shocked, I couldn't say anything… as soon as Magnamon saw me though, he looked relieved and said: "Simon! Oh thank god! You don't know how relieved I am to have gotten through to you!" "…Magnamon? What's going on?!" I asked. "Ah yes… I'm sorry I had to give you such a surprise, but I thought that if I were to contact you from a number you didn't recognize, that a request to 'Facetime'—as you call it—would have been turned down, so I spoofed Nokia's number. I hope you don't mind." Magnamon said.

"…I suppose the real person you should be asking if they mind is Nokia. Even so, how did you get through? I thought King Drasil was refortifying the dimensional barrier to separate humans and Digimon. Wouldn't that include communication?" I asked. "Yes it did, but… a lot has happened since that day." Magnamon said. "Huh?" I said. "I want to talk to you. Could you come to the Digital World? I'll send you the URL." Magnamon asked. "Huh? Hang on! What about the dimensional barrier? How am I supposed to get through that?" I asked.

"It has been damaged… it has sustained enough damage so that small masses of data can get through the cracks. Furthermore, humans take up a relatively small amount of data compared to most Digimon. That being said, it is more than possible for you to pass through and come to the Digital World. Could you come at 7 in the morning your time tomorrow, Simon? I've already talked to Nokia, Arata, Yuuko and Yuugo and they all can come at that time." Magnamon said. "Sure, that's no problem! I'm on spring break right now, so I have all kinds of time. I can't wait to see you all then!" I said. Magnamon then gave a sigh of relief as he said: "Good… I was hoping you'd be able to make it. Alright then! See you tomorrow!" "You bet!" I said.

Magnamon then ended the call. I was so excited…! I was worried I may never see the Digimon again, but that was no longer a concern! I couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow morning! For the rest of the night, my mind wandered to what adventures I would have as I kept going until it was eventually bedtime… and I woke up the next day to the sound of my alarm at 6 in the morning. I then got ready before I used the URL Magnamon had given me to log in to the Digital World!

When I arrived, I was in the outside of the pit that King Drasil was in, the same one we had jumped off of to get to him. I didn't see anyone here though… "Magnamon? Where are you?" I asked. I didn't get any response though… I looked around as I suddenly felt nervous… Digimon were all over this world and I wouldn't be safe without my Digimon… I guess all I can do is wait…

Soon though, I heard an all-too familiar voice say: "Well, look what the cat dragged in!" and I turned my head to see who it was: Nokia! I then smiled widely and said: "Nokia!" and we ran up and hugged each other. We then backed up a little bit (but we still held on to each other's shoulders) as I said: "I'm so happy to see you! You been okay?" "You bet! I've been working hard and keeping up with my friends at home… and abroad!" Nokia said before we laughed together. She then went on: "How about you, Simon? Anything new?" "Not really… I'm on my spring break at home before I go back to my studies, so I've had plenty of time. This is one exciting way to kick it off, though!" I said back. Nokia then smiled and said: "I know! I'm so happy to be back with the Digimon! I can't wait to see Omnimon!" "I know what you mean. I'm excited to see mine, too!" I said.

We both smiled and then I happened to notice something: she was still wearing her locket pendant. I then smiled and said: "And that locket pendant I gave you… you're still wearing it, even today…" Nokia then smiled and said: "Of course! I'd never just throw it away—it has too many special memories tied to it."

We then smiled and hugged each other again before I heard a: "Hey, hey, get a room you two! Other people are around here too, you know." and we both turned our heads to see who it was: Arata! Nokia then let go and crossed her arms as she said: "That's just like you, Arata. Predictable as always!" and I laughed before I said: "It's good to see you back!" Arata then grinned and said: "Yeah. Same to you, buddy." Before he came up and shook my hand.

And then Yuuko and Yuugo appeared behind him! I then looked over and said: "Heeey! Glad to see you both could make it!" and Arata turned around and Yuugo said: "Hey Simon! Long time no see!" "Yeah. It's been a long time…" Yuuko said. They then approached us and I said: "How are you two? Have you been okay?" "Yeah, we've been great! I'm back in school for the first time in who-knows-how-many years, and it's great to be making some friends and learning more." Yuugo said. I smiled and said: "That's great. Work hard then!" and then I turned to Yuuko and said: "And what about you, Yuuko?" "Well, I'm on the opposite side of the fence Yuugo's on… I'm going to be graduating soon." Yuuko said. "That's fantastic! Congratulations, Yuuko! I know you'll make it!" I said.

Yuuko then smiled and said: "Thanks, Simon. I actually feel that way too now, with all the extra support—" and then I said: "Ah, now that your dad's back, right?" "Yes, I am happy to have him back in my life. Although it's not just him who's helping…" Yuuko began and then I said: "What? What do you mean?" "I guess it's only natural you're surprised since I haven't told you yet, but… my father remarried. He's married to Rie now." Yuuko said. I had to admit, I was a little surprised to hear this… "So he married again… and how do you feel about that, Yuuko?" I asked. "I'm actually okay with it. If he had to marry someone else, I'm glad it was Rie—she really was like a second mother to me all this time, so it's just as well now that it's official." Yuuko said. And then we all laughed together.

And then we heard a: "Ah, welcome back to the Digital World, everyone. I'm glad you could make it." We then turned around and saw Magnamon come rising out of the pit! "Hey Magnamon! Long time no see!" Nokia said. Magnamon then grinned and said: "Hey everyone. Thank you all for coming. It's wonderful to see you all… of course, it is not only me who feels this way." "Huh?" Yuugo said. Magnamon chuckled before he said: "There are some Digimon who really want to see you… look behind you." And he lifted his arms up before we turned around and a bunch of beams of white light with three pink circles in them appeared behind us!

There was a flash of light and when we could see again, we saw… Omnimon, a Machinedramon, a Diaboromon, a Neptunemon, a Minervamon, a Gallantmon, a Sakuyamon, a Kentaurosmon, a WarGreymon, a Titamon, a Crusadermon, a Rosemon Burst Mode, a Vikemon, a Jesmon, a Ravemon Burst Mode and a Darkdramon… our Digimon!

Omnimon then smiled and said: "Nokia!" as he ran up to her. Machinedramon then said: "Yuuko!" and he ran up to her. Diaboromon, Neptunemon and Minervamon then said: "Arata!" as they ran up to him and my Digimon all said: "Simon!" as they ran up to me. We were all so happy to see each other and took some time to catch up for a bit. When we were done, Magnamon said: "Heh heh… I'm glad to see everyone's so excited to see each other. It's certainly a touching reunion…" We all then turned to him and he went on: "As much as I hate to break it up, I would like to ask for your attention again regarding the new dilemma facing the Digital World." "Er—oh yeah! So what's this all about? It sounds like something big was happening here, right?" Nokia asked. "Yes, that's right… didn't you say the dimensional barrier had been damaged, Magnamon?" Yuugo asked.

"Yes, you're exactly right." Magnamon said, before he went on: "I'll get straight to the point: we've had an outbreak of riots in the Digital World lately—" and then Nokia said: "Over what?! I thought the Digimon would like being at peace…" "They did, but the Digimon are suffering from a new phenomenon that's been affecting them." Magnamon said. "Like what?" Yuuko asked.

"Let me start from the beginning: a few months after the Digital World was restored and the dimensional barrier had been rebuilt, Digimon started exhibiting strange behavior and eventually rioting. Alphamon began to research the cause and compiled notes on what she found, which is how the rest of us Royal Knights know about it. From the data Alphamon drew, the rioting Digimon don't have much in common—they can be from any digivolution level, any element and any type. There was only one thing that Alphamon could discern that they all had in common—" Magnamon began and then I said: "And that was?"

"All of them had a strong bond with a human. It is for this reason that the name of this phenomenon that has been causing the Digimon to riot has been named 'CHAI Disorder'." Magnamon said. "CHAI Disorder?" Yuugo echoed. "It's an acronym standing for 'connected human afflicted insanity'. We were opposed to the term of course—since it puts the blame on humanity—but it entered into common use with Digimon who didn't have a bond with a human, so that's how the name came about." Omnimon said. "Okay, so they all have a strong bond with a human… but what is it that's making these Digimon riot? You still haven't gotten to that." Arata said.

"From Alphamon's notes, she believes it's the Digimons' feelings that are driving them to insanity that makes them riot. To be more specific, she has said that these Digimon have all forged a strong bond with a human, but when King Drasil rebuilt and fortified the dimensional barrier, they lost the ability to stay in contact with those humans they missed so much. From this, feelings of grief, despair and frustration were cultivated over time in the hearts of these Digimon and continued to grow in how powerful they were as the Digimon continued to be separated from the humans they loved. After enough time passed—which was about 7 months—the Digimon started being driven to insanity by these feelings. And whenever a Digimon suffering from CHAI Disorder goes insane, they start acting strangely, turning on other Digimon and attacking them and their communities. It's becoming a serious problem." Magnamon said. "I see… that sounds horrible…" Nokia said.

"So how is CHAI Disorder treated? Can a Digimon who is suffering from it return to being sane?" Yuugo asked. "Yes. We noticed that if a Digimon suffering from CHAI Disorder is defeated in a battle, they go back to normal." Magnamon said. "…But there's still one thing I want to know about this…" Yuuko said and Magnamon said: "Yes?" "Why doesn't King Drasil destroy the dimensional barrier and let Digimon go back to Earth so he can end this rioting?" Yuuko asked. "We have wondered the same thing… in the end, King Drasil seems to believe in the importance of keeping humans and Digimon separate, even though it's causing all this unrest…" Omnimon said. "But how?! He could end this today if he wanted to!" I said.

"We aren't really sure what he's thinking… King Drasil is such a superior being to us, after all. That being said, it is likely that opening the path to Earth would end all this, but at least we have a way to treat Digimon who are suffering from CHAI Disorder." Magnamon said. "Does it really, though? I mean, considering that the cause of CHAI Disorder is a Digimon being separated from humanity, how does defeating them truly fix it? As long as they aren't being allowed to see the humans that they miss enough to be driven to insanity over in the first place, shouldn't it possible for a Digimon with CHAI Disorder to have a relapse?" Arata asked.

"Yes, you are correct, unfortunately… we have already seen cases of Digimon being afflicted and re-afflicted by CHAI Disorder again and again…" Magnamon said. "Argh! How could he be so stubborn?! There's no way he can fix the problem by denying the solution! The problem won't end until King Drasil destroys that barrier!" Yuuko said. "But if the barrier is breaking down, it should only be a matter of time until that happens anyway right? And on that note, Magnamon…" I said to him and he looked at me as I went on: "Do you know if the barrier was damaged by natural causes or if direct damage was dealt to it by something or someone?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know that… it's one of few things that Alphamon hasn't figured out yet." Magnamon said. "Oh dang…" I said. "Yes… it is a shame. But as long as the barrier has been damaged, it is presumable that it will continue to break down until it is gone anyway, so that may solve the problem on its own." Magnamon said. "That would be a good thing if that works out… but where is Alphamon, anyway? It would help if we could ask if she's discovered anything new since then." Yuuko said. "Ooh! Great idea, Yuuko!" Nokia said.

"…Unfortunately, we don't know. Alphamon disappeared and we lost contact with her a while ago." Magnamon said. "WHAT?!" I said. "It's disturbing news, I know. Alphamon does disappear from time to time, but we never have lost contact with her before…" Magnamon said. "Do you remember where she was last headed?" Arata asked. "Alphamon was headed to some ruins in the north. Here, I'll send a map to your phones…" Magnamon said. In a moment, I felt my phone vibrate and took it out (and it seemed everyone else had the same experience, because they took theirs out too) and I saw Magnamon had added a map of the Digital World, complete with the ruins where Alphamon was headed!

"Alright! With this, finding Alphamon should be way easier! Thanks, Magnamon!" I said. "Anytime. If anyone can figure out the mysteries of CHAI Disorder, it'll be Alphamon. Please go find her!" Magnamon replied. "We're on it! Stand back and watch, we'll find her!" Nokia said. Magnamon smiled and said: "Thank you. I'll leave it in your hands then, human champions of Earth and the Digital World! I will take my leave for now. I'll let you know if I find anything."

And then he flew back into the pit! We all then turned to each other and I said: "So it looks like this is it… who's ready for another adventure?" Everyone then cheered and we all started to follow the map to the ruins!


	59. Keisuke: Rebooting Hudie

Keisuke Chapter 28—Rebooting Hudie—

From that moment on, things became a lot harder for us… we paid to have our old base in Ikebukuro rebuilt and continued to keep Hudie operating—it was too important to us to abandon after all—but it wasn't the same as it used to be… it's been a year and a half ever since humans and Digimon became separated from each other, and ever since we were, we've had less to do at Hudie… less cases have been coming in and it hasn't been as exciting as it once was… and without Hudiemon, things have been a lot sadder, too. Since she wasn't coming back, we made the spot where her office had been into a larger meeting room instead (Ryuji actually cried the first time he saw it with its new layout) and it's been harder to work like we used to without her processing speed and powerful mind… luckily we have more time to do what she used to now, but it was still disappointing… we all tried to keep our spirits up, but I could see it: everyone would occasionally break down and lose their energy, especially Ryuji… of course, none of us would ever give up on Hudie, but it was sad that things weren't like they used to be…

Things kept going on like that for a while, until one day when something amazing happened: one day—after I got home from a day of work at Hudie—I felt my phone vibrate, and I checked it to see it was Yu calling. I wasn't sure why he was calling me now, but I still took it. I held the phone up to my ear and said: "Hello?" and I heard a: "Hey, leader! Long time no see!" when I heard the voice, there was no mistaking it… it was Hudiemon's voice!

I was so shocked, I couldn't respond… soon I heard Hudiemon say: "Um, hello? Hello?" and then I said: "Hudiemon?! Is that really you?!" She giggled and said: "Yup! I'm glad you're still on the line! Hee-hee! I must have given you quite a start, huh?" "You have no idea… But that's not important! I'm just so happy to hear from you!" I said. "Hee-hee! Thank you! And… I'm happy to get to call you, Keisuke." Hudiemon said.

I then smiled and said: "Still though, I can't help but wonder… why did it say Yu was the caller?" "I didn't think you'd answer a call from a number you didn't recognize, so I spoofed Yu's caller ID. I hope that isn't a problem!" Hudiemon said. "I don't mind, but I suppose you'd have to ask him." I said back. I then went on: "But Hudiemon… if you're calling me from the Digital World, that must mean something has happened, right?"

Hudiemon then paused before she said: "Yes… we all were enjoying life in the Digital World at first, but now… a new menace has emerged. One that threatens to destroy the unity we worked so hard to create…" "WHAT? What happened?" I asked. "The Digimon are attacking each other for no reason… we don't know who's responsible or why it's happening. Now it's getting to the point where it's becoming unsafe, so please Keisuke… come to the Digital World and help us—your old friends, the Digimon!" Hudiemon said.

"I would love to, but hasn't the barrier between Earth and the Digital World been restored? How am I supposed to do that?" I asked. "A lot more has happened than you're aware of. There was a time where the dimensional barrier was rebuilt and fortified, but now it's been damaged. It's currently damaged enough so that five humans can get through… which is exactly why I waited until now to call." Hudiemon said. She then went on: "I'll send you the URL so you can log in to the Digital World directly. Please take Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri and Yu and come help us!"

"Leave it to me! I can't promise it'll be tomorrow or the next day Hudiemon, but we'll be there as soon as we can." I said. Hudiemon then gave a sigh of relief and said: "Thank you. I know I can count on you, so I'm looking forward to it—and so are the others!" I smiled and said: "Ah, so you've been keeping up with them, have you?" "Of course! We've all been traveling together for the big day when we'll see you again!" Hudiemon said.

I smiled and said: "That's great! I'm looking forward to it and I know everyone else is too. Although Hudiemon…" and then she said: "Hm?" "I'd like to ask for your help in communicating what's going on to the others. To be more specific, we have a meeting coming up at 4 in the afternoon our time tomorrow… could you call me at 4:10 and explain everything?" "Sure! I'd love to!" Hudiemon said. "Great! Thank you, Hudiemon. Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow—" I began and then Hudiemon said: "Okay! I'll do just that!" and then I said: "Well hold on, Hudiemon! I wasn't finished yet!" and then she said: "Hmm?" and I went on: "Before we hang up, tell me one thing: I know you said that there has been a lot of violence in the Digital World… but have you been happy in the Digital World? Before then at least?"

"Oh yes! I've had so much fun getting settled in, I can't even tell you! From beaches to snowy mountains, I've been all over and I'm enjoying every step of the way!" Hudiemon said. I then smiled before I said: "That's great. I'm happy to hear that." "So what about you and Hudie, Keisuke? Has business in Hudie been going well?" Hudiemon asked. "…I wish I could say the same, but it's actually been declining… without Digimon, the number of cases has dropped noticeably and we're having a harder time sorting through everything without you there." I said. Hudiemon then sighed disappointedly and said: "… I was hoping that wouldn't be the case…" and I said: "Don't worry, we'll manage. It's just a rougher business climate without the Digimon."

Hudiemon then chuckled and said: "That's the spirit! Okay, I'll call in tomorrow!" "Great! Talk to you then!" I said. We then hung up. I was so excited…! This was going to be the most exciting thing we had happen to Hudie in a long time!

The next day, I went into Hudie with more energy than usual. I kept looking forward to 4 o'clock coming by as time winded down. We got closer and closer until we eventually came to our lunch break and all had our lunches. I sat with Yuri and Yu and we talked a little bit as we ate. I finished faster (probably because of how energized I was) and eventually looked around the cafe before I said: "Huh? Where's Ryuji?" "He went outside. He must be taking a walk or something?" Yu said. "That's not like him… I think I'll go check on him. See you, Yu, Yuri!" I said.

I then headed outside and found Ryuji sitting on the steps out there. "Ryuji? Are you alright?" I asked. He then turned around and said: "Oh… hey, Keisuke." I then sat next to him and said: "What's on your mind? You don't normally head out here like this." "Yeah, well… I just needed to clear my head." Ryuji said. "About what?" I asked. Ryuji then sighed before he said: "Keisuke…" and then he started to cry a little as he said: "How can you be so optimistic that we'll see Erika again? It's already been a year and a half…"

I then smiled before I said: "We'll have to see her and the others again, Ryuji. It would be too cold and heartless for us not to, and that's not the way life really is." "…Forgive me for saying this, Keisuke, but that sounds like something that you're telling yourself because you want it to be true." Ryuji replied. "Well, we'll have to see. Besides, I actually have something special in mind for today that addresses this subject directly." I said. "Huh…? Like what…?" Ryuji asked. I then put my hand on his shoulder and said: "You'll just have to wait and see! Don't worry—it won't be much longer of a wait!"

And then I got up and went back inside. We kept working until the 4 o' clock meeting, at which point we met in the new meeting room. When we all got seated, I said: "Everyone, before we get started, I have something important I need to tell you—" and then Chitose said: "Okay… what?" "I have a call coming at 4:10 that I'm going to have to take, so that's going to put what we're talking about on hold. We can continue after it's ended." I said. "Huh… alright. I hope it's nothing serious…" Yu said.

We then started the meeting and kept talking until I felt my phone vibrate—I checked and saw it was Hudiemon calling! I then said: "I've got to take this, guys. One minute…" and then I set it on the table as I accepted the call. "Wait a minute… you're going to take it in _here_?" Yuri asked. Ryuji then said: "Keisuke, what _are_ you doing?"

I then put Hudiemon on speaker and said: "I've got you on speaker. Can you hear me?" and Hudiemon said: "Loud and clear, leader!" Everyone then gasped. Chitose then said: "Did I just hear what I thought I heard…?!" and Ryuji stood up and hit the table with the palms of his hands as he said: "ERIKA!" "Hey everyone! I'm happy to hear from you!" Hudiemon said back. I then said: "Hudiemon has something important she wanted to share with us, and since she is a member of Hudie, I thought we could spare some time for our old friend who helped us so much." I then went on: "Go on and tell them what's happened, Hudiemon."

"Sure thing. Keisuke has told me that Hudie has been in a bit of a lull, but things are pretty different in the Digital World—" Hudiemon began and then Chitose said: "Heh-heh! Yeah, I'm sure it must be an exciting time, with the Digital World restored and the Eaters gone!" "Well it was, but lately something strange has happened… Digimon all over the Digital World are starting to go insane and attack each other for no reason. We don't know why or how it's happening… but it's made the Digital World a lot less safe." Hudiemon said back.

"What? Oh, that's terrible! Have you been okay, Erika?" Yuri asked. "Yup! I haven't been defeated yet." Hudiemon said. "Is there anything we can do to help you, Erika?" Ryuji asked. "Yes, I had a special request for all of you: please, come to the Digital World and help us—your old friends, the Digimon! None of us can solve this mystery right now, but I believe that if Hudie were back together in the Digital World, we could solve it and return the Digital World to a peaceful state." Hudiemon said. "Well hold on! Wasn't the dimensional barrier between Earth and the Digital World rebuilt? How are we supposed to get through?" Yu asked.

"It was rebuilt, but it's been damaged. As of now, it's damaged enough so that five humans can get through—which is just enough!" Hudiemon said. "Okay, so we can get through… but how are we supposed to connect to the Digital World? Kowloon?" Yuri asked. "No. I can send you the URL, so you can come directly!" Hudiemon said. "Wow! How convenient!" Yu said.

"Indeed. There's only one problem though: we of Hudie are a business and we have employees working besides us, so we can't just close up shop… we need to think about how to manage their needs too." I said. "Why don't we just give everyone a week of paid time off? Then there'd be no reason they could complain, right?" Yuri asked. I nodded and said: "Yeah, I agree. Of course, it'll send us back to the stone age in our budget… but we'd have enough yen left and the Digimon are more important than any amount of money!" Chitose then nodded and said: "Well said!" "Okay, so all that leaves is the matter of when can you come by—" Hudiemon began and then I said: "Tomorrow, of course!" "…Are you sure? What are you going to tell your employees?" Hudiemon asked.

"We'll call it what it is: a personal emergency that came up among the managers. We're not going to keep you waiting!" Ryuji said. "Guys…" Hudiemon said before she went on: "Thank you! I'm looking forward to seeing you all then!" "Of course! See you, Erika! And don't forget to give us the URL!" Yu said. "I won't! See you all soon!" Hudiemon said. We then heard her hang up.

I then put my phone away and looked back at everyone and said: "Well as hard as it may be to do now, I suppose we'd better get back to our original topic—" and then Yu said: "It is going to be hard. You got me all excited now…" and Yuri said in a joking way: "Like we're going to be able to focus on our work now! Way to go, Keisuke!" and then we all laughed together before Ryuji said: "But still… thank you. I think I speak for all of us when I say that gave us a lot of hope." "I'd say you're right!" Chitose said. We all then smiled together before I said: "Yeah… I understand it being hard to think about anything else… but we'd better! This business isn't going to run itself!"

We then worked the rest of the day and made our announcement to the other employees before we locked Hudie up for the next week. The next morning, Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri, Yu and I all called each other and checked to see when we could log into the Digital World. Within a little while, we decided we'd do it at 10 o' clock in the morning. I could barely wait for the time to come… when it finally did, I logged into the Digital World the instant 10 o' clock came! When I arrived, I saw I was in that forest we were in last time. I looked around and didn't see Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri or Yu yet… I guess I'll have to wait.

Luckily, they quickly arrived in succession. When we were all there, we all smiled and Yu said: "It's been a while since we were all here… this really takes me back." "Yeah… I'm glad the Digimon have such a great world to live in." Chitose said. We all smiled and then heard a rustling in the bushes! "Is that them?" Yuri asked. We then looked over and saw… a creepy vampire-like Digimon who walked on two legs and wore a full body long sleeve garment that was blue and black that looked like a Dracula-style garment. It had short light brown hair, pale skin and two fangs that protruded out of its mouth… it looked 6'7 tall. The other was a Taomon and the last one was a Cyberdramon!

We all then looked at each other and then we heard the vampire-like Digimon say: "What's this? Humans? How did you get in here?" We all then looked at him but didn't say anything. He then approached us as he went on: "Did you hear me? I asked you a question." "Argh… I didn't think we'd encounter another Digimon first…" Chitose said. "Hmph… first you cause all of our misfortunes, then you go tight-lipped on us… I don't have much patience for such creatures." The vampire-like Digimon said as he turned to the other two and said: "Taomon, Cyberdramon, what do you say we teach them some manners?" "Well said!" Cyberdramon said and then Taomon said: "I like your thinking, Myotismon! Let's go." And then they approached us! "Argh! This looks bad! We'd better—" Yu began, but then we heard an all-too familiar voice say: "Flying kick!" and we turned our heads to see Hudiemon come flying down at Myotismon! She then kicked him in the face and pushed off of him, knocking him down as she flipped down in front of us.

"Erika!" Ryuji said and I said: "Nice timing, Hudiemon! Are we ever glad to see you!" She then turned back and smiled before she looked straight ahead again and Myotismon then got up as he said: "What's the meaning of this?! You really mean to defend the creatures that caused our misfortunes?" Hudiemon looked disgusted before she finally said: "…I have no idea why you're blaming them, but they never brought misfortune to anyone! After all they did for me and my friends, I won't let you blame them for what has happened to the Digital World!"

"Ha! You're a brave one to say something like that… but I don't think you're comprehending the seriousness of your situation. After all, you're a lower level Digimon than any of us… and you're outnumbered. You could never win in a battle against us." Myotismon said and then Hudiemon said: "It's not just me!" and then she turned around and said: "How much longer are you going to keep us waiting anyway? Get out here!"

And then we saw it: our Digimon came running out from the foliage behind us! We all smiled when we saw them while Myotismon, Taomon and Cyberdramon all looked shocked and then Cyberdramon said: "What the…?! They've got a whole army!" and Taomon said: "This is bad!" Hudiemon then turned to them and said: "Well then… shall we get back to our little battle? May the best side win!"

And our Digimon beat down Myotismon, Taomon and Cyberdramon easily and chased them off. When they finished, they turned back around to face us and smiled and came running up to each of us. Everyone then reunited with their Digimon, some shaking hands and some hugging them. I was overjoyed to see my Digimon, although I thought I noticed something…

Just then though, Hudiemon giggled and said: "It looks like Hudie is back together again! This is a great day for us!" We all then turned to her and she said: "And I'm so happy to finally get to see you all, after all this time. Being in the Digital World has been a lot of fun, but… I really missed you all too."

Ryuji then smiled and said: "Erika!" and ran up to her and hugged her. It seemed he wasn't keeping track of his own strength either, because Hudiemon said: "Hey, hey! Easy there, Ryuji! You're going to crush me, hugging me like that!" and then we all laughed as Ryuji lightened up his grip and Hudiemon hugged him back. Ryuji then stepped back and said: "I'm so glad you're okay, Erika." "I know what you mean… it's such a relief to see my brother doing well." Hudiemon said back.

Hudiemon then flew up to Yu and they shook hands as he said: "It's good to see you again, Erika." "Same to you, Yu!" Hudiemon said. She then flew up to Yuri and they shook hands as well as Yuri said: "Long time no see, Erika! You seem well." "What you see is what you get!" Hudiemon said. They then chuckled together and she flew over to Chitose. They then hugged each other before they let go and Chitose said: "It's good to see you, Erika! Looks like you've come a long way since we were last here." "Thank you, Chitose! I know I like to think so!" Hudiemon said. Then she flew over to me and we hugged each other before we let go and I said: "I'm happy to see you again, Hudiemon. It's great that we get to see you and all the other Digimon here—it's not the same without any of you." Hudiemon then giggled and said: "Thanks!"

And she flew back before she said: "Of course, I'm not the only Digimon here who's missed all of you!" and our Digimon all cheered before I turned to mine and looked at them as Hudiemon kept talking, but as I looked my Digimon over, I started to drown out the sound of Hudiemon's voice… I had noticed something was wrong before, but now I knew what it was: I had the wrong number of Digimon before me!

Finally, everyone else cheered before I heard Hudiemon say: "…Keisuke? Are you okay?" and I snapped out of it before I said: "…Sorry, I was lost in thought. What was it?" "…I was just saying we should go and look for clues as to what's making the Digimon attack each other." Hudiemon said. "What…? Well hold on!" I said and then everyone looked at me and I went on: "Hasn't anyone noticed? Lilithmon is missing! Where is she?"

Hudiemon then sighed disappointedly again and then Angewomon finally said: "…We don't know. We lost contact with her a while ago." "But why? She wouldn't miss this for anything!" I said. "That's true, but… well, let me explain: Lilithmon used to travel with us, but there was one day when she went out to look for food and… she never came back. We looked all over, but we never found her." Ciel said.

I then looked down, feeling devastated. I then felt someone put their hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Dianamon and she said: "I'm sorry, Keisuke—I know you really cared about her and you wanted to see her. And I know she felt exactly as you said she did: that she wouldn't miss this for anything. That's why we believe there must be something keeping her from coming here." "…I have to find her. She's my Digimon and I can't leave her on her own!" I said.

I then turned to everyone else and said: "If you all want to solve this mystery, go on ahead… but I have to help Lilithmon. I'll be off trying to help her. I'll contact you when I've found her so we can all meet up again." "Well hold on, Keisuke. Nobody said you'd have to do this on your own. We can do both: we can look for clues about the recent phenomena and about Lilithmon." Hudiemon said. "That is true. You shouldn't be grandstanding now, leader!" Yu said. "And there's no reason you should have to leave and search on your own. Stop trying to be so tough." Yuri said.

I then smiled and said: "Everyone…" before I said: "Thank you. Alright, we'll search as a team! Do we have any leads?" "There's a village to the northeast from here that's home to one of my old childhood friends, FanBeemon! I was planning to go ask him if he knew anything about what was going on, so why don't we all go there together?" Hudiemon asked. A childhood friend… that must mean FanBeemon was one of Wormmon's childhood friends, before she combined with Erika… "Well let's see…" Chitose said before he turned to me and said: "What do you think, leader?" "Sounds like a fine place to start! Lead the way, Hudiemon!" I said. "Hee-hee! No problem! Alright then, follow me everyone!" Hudiemon said. And she took us towards her friend's village.


	60. Simon: Wandering victims

Simon Chapter 32—Wandering victims—

We had been keeping up our search for Alphamon for a while. We kept heading further, through all kinds of landmarks—from meadows to valleys—until we came up on a crag. Everyone was really enjoying the chance to explore the Digital World, even Yuugo! As we went through, Nokia said: "Ooh, it's been so fun getting to explore the Digital World! There are so many places that are nothing like Tokyo!" "That's true. You don't really see any urban places here, either… it's fascinating how different it is here." Yuugo said. "That's true. I never expected it would be this different…" Arata said before I turned to my Digimon and said: "Now that I can see how different it is here, I'll bet it took all of you some getting used to when you were in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, eh?"

"Well maybe a little… but it was amazing for us too." Gil said. "That's right! Seeing how big cities were on Earth was an amazing experience! When it comes to living conditions, you're actually years ahead of us, Simon. It was shocking seeing that… it was like stepping into the future, almost. So we were just as excited to see Earth as you all are to see our world." Daisy said. "You think of Earth as futuristic? That's interesting… normally, we always fantasize what the future will look like, but we never stop to think how advanced we are now. Hearing a Digimon's perspective on this… really puts things in perspective." Yuuko said. "That's surprising… I never imagined humans would take what amazing things they already have for granted." Machinedramon said. Yuuko then chuckled before she said: "Well maybe we do, just a little. Of course, we know what we have is effective and something to be thankful for too."

She then went on: "Well it looks like we've made it pretty far… how much further until we get to the ruins?" I checked the map and said: "It's still a couple dozen miles. Let's keep at it!" And everyone nodded before we continued on our way.

Eventually, we came up to the end of the crag. We were approaching some rocky hills, before we were in for a surprise: we saw three Digimon come over the top… one was a Hououmon, one was a Sakuyamon and the last one was a TigerVespamon. But as soon as I saw it, I stopped and thought of something: this group looked awfully familiar… and then it hit me! These Digimon… they must be Fei's Digimon! Yuuko and I then looked at each other before we turned our heads to them again and as they kept approaching, they were acting very strangely… their eyes were half-open and they weren't moving very quickly… "Huh? What's with them…?" Arata asked and then Yuuko said: "They haven't spotted us yet! Quick, hide!"

And then she started to run behind a rock formation. We all then followed and looked out from the corner as we heard them approaching. Soon we heard their voices… TigerVespamon was saying: "Fei… Fei… come back…" and Sakuyamon said: "Need… our tamer… back." What happened next though was unfortunate: we saw Hououmon turn her head to us and we immediately darted back behind the rock and soon we heard Sakuyamon say: "Hououmon? What is it?" and Hououmon said: "Something is hiding… behind that rock." "Looks like we've been spotted… we'd better make the first move." Arata whispered.

And then Yuuko and I ran out and when TigerVespamon saw us, she said: "Yuuko…? Simon…?" and then Yuuko said: "TigerVespamon, Hououmon, Sakuyamon!" and then Sakuyamon said: "Humans… have come to our world?" Hououmon then flew forward and said: "So if you're here… then where's Fei?!" "She isn't here right now. She's still back on Earth. Still though, it's so good to see you! We were hoping you were holding up okay!" I said back. TigerVespamon then said: "Fei…" and then Sakuyamon said: "Isn't…" and then Hououmon said: "Here…?" and then they all said: "Uwah…"

By now, my Digimon had arrived (as had Machinedramon) and Yuuko and I looked at each other before Yuuko said: "Are you three okay? You're acting really strange right now…" but then Hououmon roared out and said: "LIAR! If humans have come into the Digital World, Fei must be back too!" and Sakuyamon said: "Tell us where she is!" "No! It's the truth! Fei hasn't had a chance to come yet! Otherwise she would be here!" Yuuko said. TigerVespamon then leapt into the air and flew down at Yuuko as she started to say: "Victory stinger mark—" but then Machinedramon pointed his cannons at TigerVespamon and said: "Infinity cannon!" and shot her with energy blasts, knocking her down to the ground! Hououmon flew up to us as Sakuyamon came running in and Hououmon said: "Power energy 3!" and made an explosion of gray energy envelop Machinedramon! It looked like it worked pretty well too!

I then called my Digimon back, except for Pepper, Daisy and Larry. I then said: "Larry, use guard break field on them! Pepper, use great tornado on TigerVespamon! Daisy, use safety guard on yourself!" and Larry said: "Guard break field!" and cast a spell that lowered the damage resistance of Fei's Digimon to non-magic attacks. Pepper then followed through and said: "Great tornado!" and he positioned his claws in front of him and then spun rapidly (like a drill) and crashed into TigerVespamon—and it looked plenty effective! Daisy then said: "Safety guard!" and created a blue barrier in front of herself that worked once per casting to stop her from being defeated when she otherwise would be and leave her intact with almost no health instead. Sakuyamon then said: "Status barrier!" and made a purple barrier appear in front of herself that stopped us from inflicting status conditions or lowering her attributes. That was going to be a pain…

Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, use nanomachine break 3 on Sakuyamon!" and Machinedramon said: "Nanomachine break 3!" and zapped Sakuyamon with electricity! TigerVespamon then said: "Status barrier!" and created a purple barrier in front of herself before Hououmon said: "Status barrier!" and did the same thing on herself. Sakuyamon then said: "Final heal!" and restored TigerVespamon's health! "Gah! She's going to be a real nuisance…" I said before Yuuko said: "I'll say. We need to do something about her fast!" I nodded before I called back Daisy and sent in Gil. I then said: "Pepper, use attack charge field! Larry, hit Sakuyamon with soul core attack!" and Pepper said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted our Digimons' damage output with non-magic attacks. Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at Sakuyamon with his giant sword! Sakuyamon fell right over, but managed to get up again.

Sakuyamon then said: "Final heal!" and healed herself before Hououmon said: "Safety guard!" and cast the same spell Daisy did on Sakuyamon! Now we were really going to have a long fight on our hands… TigerVespamon then said: "Thunder fall 3!" and made bolts of lightning strike all of our Digimon. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, hit them all! Infinity cannon!" and Machinedramon said: "Infinity cannon!" and shot them all with energy blasts! I then said: "Gil, get pumped! Acceleration boost! Larry, use soul core attack on Sakuyamon again! Pepper, use attack charge field!" and Gil said: "Acceleration boost!" and prepared to really strengthen his next attack. Pepper then said: "Attack charge field!" and boosted everyone's damage output with non-magic attacks again. Larry then said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at Sakuyamon again.

Sakuyamon then said: "Final heal!" and restored her health fully before Hououmon said: "Starlight explosion!" and covered herself with some of her wings before flames formed around her and she then flapped her wings outward, causing a flash of light and the flames to go flying into our Digimon! Pepper didn't take it too hard, but everyone else sure did… TigerVespamon then said: "Thunder fall 3!" and attacked with lightning again. Now I knew it was time for me to make my move! I then said: "Gil, hit Sakuyamon with all you've got! Dark roar!" and Gil said: "Dark roar!" and conjured a ball of darkness before he sent it flying at Sakuyamon! It crashed into her and she took it extra hard as she just barely got up before I said: "Hmph. So that didn't do the job, huh… alright, Larry—use soul core attack!" and Larry said: "Soul core attack!" and slashed at Sakuyamon. She then fell down before the blue barrier in front of her shattered and she got up. I then turned to Yuuko and said: "A little help here, Yuuko? We need to finish her off!" and then Yuuko said: "I'm on it! Machinedramon, use mach rush 3!" and Machinedramon said: "Mach rush 3!" and charged at Fei's Digimon before he caused a shockwave that knocked them all down… and Sakuyamon wouldn't get up! Pepper then said: "Terra force!" and he conjured a red-orange sphere between his hands which he enlarged to enormous proportions and threw at Fei's Digimon and it exploded and hit them both!

I then called back Gil and Larry and sent in Zephyr and Jason and Hououmon said: "Safety guard!" and brought up a blue barrier in front of herself. TigerVespamon then said: "Victory stinger mark 5!" and thrust her lances at Machinedramon faster than my eyes could follow before she flew back to Hououmon. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon, blast them with infinity cannon!" and Machinedramon said: "Infinity cannon!" and fired blasts of energy at Hououmon and TigerVespamon! I then said: "Jason, blast them with Odin's breath! Zephyr, use mourning dance on TigerVespamon! Pepper, you follow through with a great tornado!" and Jason said: "Odin's breath!" and exhaled a gust of blue breath at Hououmon and TigerVespamon. Zephyr then flew at TigerVespamon and said: "Mourning dance!" and flew around TigerVespamon, confusing her with his fast movements before he flew in and slashed at her eight times with his wings! He then flew off and Pepper said: "Great tornado!" and once again spun like a drill at TigerVespamon before mowing her down—and she wouldn't get up!

I then called my Digimon back and sent in Daisy, Sabrina and Arthur. After I did, Yuuko said: "Machinedramon, get ready to block!" and he did so as Hououmon said: "Starlight explosion!" and she created another fiery flash that hit all of our Digimon. "Daisy, use safety guard on Machinedramon! Sabrina, use final heal on Machinedramon too! Arthur, attack with judgement of the blade!" I said, before Daisy said: "Safety guard!" and brought up a blue barrier in front of Machinedramon. Sabrina then said: "Final heal!" and fully restored Machinedramon's health! I then heard Yuuko say: "Thank you…" before Arthur said: "Judgement of the blade!" and he flew at Hououmon and slashed at her five times!

Hououmon then used starlight explosion again before I said: "Daisy, use mental charge field! Sabrina, use holy light 3! Arthur, use judgement of the blade again!" and Daisy said: "Mental charge field!" and boosted our Digimons' damage output with magic attacks and their damage resistance to magic attacks. Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Hououmon was and then Arthur moved in and used judgement of the blade again. Yuuko then said: "Machinedramon! Pump everyone up! Attack charge field!" and Machinedramon said: "Attack charge field!" and increased all of our Digimons' damage output with non-magic attacks.

I then said: "Alright everyone, time to go on the offensive! Daisy, use Aguichant levres! Sabrina, use holy light 3 again! Arthur, give her a judgement of the blade!" and Yuuko said: "Machinedramon, you too! Use nanomachine break 3!" and Daisy said: "Aguichant levres!" and sent a laser at Hououmon! Sabrina and Arthur then repeated their last attacks again and Machinedramon zapped Hououmon with electricity before Hououmon used another starlight explosion. With the odds so strongly on our side, we managed to shatter Hououmon's blue barrier and finish her off the next round!

Fei's Digimon all then collapsed and I thought I saw some kind of purple energy form above their heads as TigerVespamon said: "Ungh…" and Yuuko said: "No! You can't go down on us now! Get up!" and then I thought I saw the purple energy go flying at the sky… moments later, TigerVespamon rose (and so did Hououmon and Sakuyamon) before she said: "What? Simon and… Yuuko?! What are you doing in the digital world?!"

By now, Arata, Nokia and Yuugo had all come over and I said: "You really don't remember fighting us just now, huh?" "What? We fought you?" Sakuyamon asked. Yuuko then turned to me and said: "It looks like they lost their memories, although not completely, if they remembered who we were…" I nodded as Yuuko then turned to them and went on: "TigerVespamon, Hououmon, Sakuyamon! Please tell us what you remember!"

"Well let's see… we were inside Fei's phone at first and then we were called out. We thought she had called us out, but… Fei said she hadn't. Then we were somehow sent back to the Digital World… we said goodbye to Fei as we went… it was sad…" Hououmon said. "That's right. When we arrived back in the Digital World, we started to wander about together… there was a public announcement that was made a matter of days later that King Drasil was rebuilding the barrier between Earth and the Digital World, so we would never see our tamers again and that the Eaters were gone from our world…" Sakuyamon said. TigerVespamon nodded and said: "Yeah… we all were really sad to hear that we'd never see Fei again, but… there was nothing we could do about it. So we just kept going on living, trying to get home to our village. But… we never made it. We began to feel depression and despair over losing Fei until eventually our heads started to hurt and we lost consciousness… the next thing we knew, we were here…"

TigerVespamon then went on: "But what did you mean, we fought you? What happened?" We then retold what happened to TigerVespamon, Hououmon and Sakuyamon, as well as what Magnamon had told us from Alphamon's notes. Finally, Hououmon said: "Yow… so we were acting that strangely…" and Sakuyamon said: "I see… we must have acquired this 'CHAI Disorder' the Royal Knights told you about… and you said we could have a relapse at any time?" "Yes… that's exactly what Magnamon told us." I said. "Ugh… how awful… we're not even truly cured…" Hououmon said. "But there's still one thing I'm not clear on…" TigerVespamon said and Yuuko said: "Yes?"

"If you're here in the Digital World, that must mean something happened to the dimensional barrier, right? And if that happened, then it's possible for humans to come and go from the Digital World, right?" TigerVespamon asked. "Yes. Not too many, but a few can get through at a time." I said back. "Then please, do us this favor… and ask Fei to come!" TigerVespamon said. "Of course we will! For now though, we still need time to solve the mystery of CHAI Disorder. We're really close to Alphamon and we can't stop now." Yuuko said. Fei's Digimon then smiled and Hououmon said: "Thank you… we appreciate it so much that you'll get Fei to come." "But in the meantime, if you're not able to leave because you need to keep searching… then it's clear what needs to be done!" Sakuyamon said. "Huh?" Yuuko said. "Let us come with you! We'll be happy to help you unravel this mystery! Especially if it'll get Fei here faster!" TigerVespamon said.

We all then looked at each other and smiled before Yuuko said: "Alright then! It'll be great having Fei's old Digimon on our side!" and Fei's Digimon celebrated before TigerVespamon said: "It's decided then! Let's all go to those ruins!" And we all headed off together as a team.


	61. Keisuke: Looking for Lilithmon

Keisuke Chapter 29—Looking for Lilithmon—

Hudiemon continued to lead us to the village, across various landmarks and we all enjoyed exploring together every step of the way. After we followed a river upstream, Yu said: "Alright, looks like we're up the creek, so to speak… so where are we going next?" "A beautiful field of flowers! We won't be far from FanBeemon's village once we go through there!" Hudiemon said. "A flower field? That sounds beautiful! I'm excited to see it, given how amazing everything's been so far!" Yuri said. "Oh, you will be—it's a beautiful landmark that's normally visited by all kinds of Digimon!" Hudiemon said back. And then they chuckled together.

She then went on: "Still though, there are more amazing sights that the Digital World has to offer than you can see in individual landmarks… something amazing is going to be happening tonight—" and then Chitose said: "And what's that?" Hudiemon then smiled and said: "There's going to be a beautiful meteor shower tonight! We've got to see it!" I then smiled and said: "That sounds like a fantastic idea. I'd like to see what a meteor shower looks like in the Digital World." Hudiemon then smiled and said: "I know what you mean! I've lived in the Digital World for a year and a half now, but I've never seen one happen before now either, so we'll all be seeing it for the first time together!"

She then went on: "Well for now, we've got the flower field to hold us over. So let's go—I'm excited for all of you to see that too!" and we nodded as Hudiemon led us ahead. We kept going… and soon we came up on the field of flowers Hudiemon had mentioned! There were flowers of all colors all over and they were each emitting data particles of their own color up into the air…

"Wooow! It's so beautiful!" Yuri said. "It is really amazing… do all flowers in the Digital World emit data particles like that, Erika?" Yu asked. "Yup! That's right!" Hudiemon said. She then bent over a flower and smelled it before she went on: "Ahh, I always get so full of energy any time I come here! Let's go! There's a lot to see!"

And Hudiemon skipped ahead into the flower field, looking as happy as could be. Chitose grinned and said: "Heh… she sure has changed." I then smiled and said: "You said it… back when she was still Erika, she was great as she was, but now that she's Hudiemon, she's so full of cheer and life now… I'm happy for her." "I agree. Erika's come a long way since Hudie started…" Yuri said. Chitose then turned to Ryuji and said: "And how about you? Where do you stand on this, Ryuji?" Ryuji then crossed his arms and smiled before he said: "I'm still not sure how I feel about it… but for now, I'm just happy to see her feeling so happy… she was never like this back when she was still human. I'm glad Erika's found so much happiness here, even if we can't be around each other anymore…" "Don't say that! The barrier between Earth and the Digital World has been damaged, remember? You can visit her any time now. Just think of it as though Erika moved out." Yu said. Ryuji then smiled and said: "Thanks Yu… you really are good at reaching out to your friends." And we all smiled together.

And then we heard Hudiemon yell: "Heeeey! What's going on?! Are you all coming?" and we all looked up to see her waving at us from further away. I chuckled and then we ran to catch up with Hudiemon. When we arrived, we kept moving through the flower field. We kept going, sometimes stopping to look at or smell interesting specimens. Eventually we made our way through it and kept going.

We kept marching on and when dusk was beginning to turn to nightfall, Yu said: "Hmm… looks like it's getting dark…" and Hudiemon said: "It sure is! We'd better find a good place to watch from!" And then Chitose chuckled and said: "And that would be the meteor shower you're talking about, right?" "Exactly! Let's look for somewhere up high to watch it!" Hudiemon said.

We soon found a hilltop and all got seated there. We all started to wait and soon enough, we saw the meteor shower begin! We called all of our Digimon out so they could see it too. It was a beautiful sight to behold, watching all the streaks in the sky. I enjoyed getting to see how vivid it looked in the Digital World, although I was also curious to see how everyone else was enjoying it. I looked around and observed different reactions from different people: Ryuji and Chitose looked impressed, while Yuri's and Yu's faces lit up at what they were seeing. And especially Hudiemon looked excited at what she saw. I then smiled and went back to looking up at the meteor shower. I was glad to see she was so much happier than she used to be. Maybe Hudie was more complete now than it ever was after all that's happened… nonetheless, the meteor shower continued to dazzle us as it went on. I didn't want to forget what I had seen, so I even photographed the meteor shower with my phone!

When the meteor shower ended, we all set up camp and spent the night on the hill. When I woke up, I looked around and saw it was daybreak… and that no one else was awake yet. I stretched out and got up. It had been an amazing night, getting to watch the meteor shower with everyone… but then I remembered: it wasn't really with everyone… because Lilithmon wasn't there… she was off wherever she was… suddenly I felt really down… she was one of my precious partners and she had missed it… I felt like I needed to clear my head a little, so I went down to a lake on lower ground.

When I was there, I sat on a rock by the lake and looked out at it. After a few minutes passed, it felt like this wasn't really accomplishing anything, so I decided to call out my Digimon. When they all appeared, Slayerdramon said: "Good morning Keisuke!" and then I said: "Hi everybody…" "Hey… are you okay? You don't look so good…" Blanc asked. "Yeah, you seemed so much happier when you were watching the meteor shower last night… did something happen?" Angewomon asked.

"…I just felt kind of down—" I began and then Kuzuhamon said: "About what? You can tell us, Keisuke—we want to help." "Well, the meteor shower was a beautiful sight… but I wish Lilithmon had been there with us to see it… it was really a reminder of how sad it makes me to not know where she is and to know she missed that special moment with us…" I said." "So that's what's got you down… you're still worried about Lilithmon." Ouryumon said. I then nodded before he went on: "Don't worry, Keisuke—we'll see her again." Ciel then looked at me as she said: "Exactly. We all know how hard it is to be separated from someone we care about—we couldn't see you for a year and a half, after all. But you found a way to us, just as you'll find a way to Lilithmon. So please don't feel sad—this is just another hurdle for you to jump. And you've jumped plenty of hurdles."

"Yup! Just like what Ciel said, I know it's hard to be separated from someone you care about. But you've got to be strong and hold on to hope. That's what all heroes have to do, after all!" Dorugoramon said. "Besides, where did all your enthusiasm go? You believed so sincerely you would get to see us in the Digital World again before you came here, so why not believe that you'll get to see Lilithmon?" BlackWarGreymon asked. Dianamon then came over and put her hand on my shoulder before she said: "You don't have to worry, Keisuke—we'll see Lilithmon again. I know she was a good friend to you, but that will give you all the more drive to find her! We're all here for you and we'll all be whole as a team again. Besides, didn't you take a picture of the meteor shower with your phone?"

"Er-oh yeah!" I said. Dianamon then smiled and said: "So you can show it to her when you see her. And now you really don't have an excuse to be moping! So let's go as a team—we'll do it together." I then smiled and said: "Thanks everybody. You all really helped to cheer me up… alright. Now let's get back before—" and then I heard a: "There you are!" that voice… it was Hudiemon's voice!

I then turned my head to see Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri, Yu and Hudiemon all up on the hill. They all then came down to me and Hudiemon said: "What were you doing, going off on your own like that?! We were worried sick!" "Sorry, I just needed to clear my head—" I began and then Yu said: "Aw boy… what have you been keeping from us that's bothering you?"

"I was worried about Lilithmon." I said back. "You don't need to be worried about that, Keisuke—there aren't many Lilithmon in the Digital World, and whenever someone sees one, they make a big fuss about it, so it'll be easy to track her down, mark my words." Hudiemon said back. "So they make a big fuss? Why is that?" Chitose asked.

"Because there is a group of seven Digimon known as the 'Seven Deadly Digimon' who have been known to attack Digimon and impose terror on them all over the Digital World… and there's a Lilithmon that happens to be a member. That's why whenever a Lilithmon is sighted—even if she's one that belonged to a tamer—they all assume it's Lilithmon of the Seven Deadly Digimon and begin to panic and then news spreads all over the Digital World. And between that and how rare they are, finding Keisuke's Lilithmon shouldn't be hard at all." Hudiemon said. "Even though I hate the thought of her being assumed to be an evil Digimon, it's nice that we have something we can use to our advantage like that…" I began and then I turned to Hudiemon and said: "Thank you for letting me know that, Hudiemon. You really helped put my mind at ease."

Hudiemon then smiled back and said: "No problem! That's what I'm here for!" and we all smiled before Hudiemon said: "Well now that that's been all sorted out, shall we get back on the road? We're not far from FanBeemon's village now!" "No problem! Lead the way, Hudiemon!" I said.

We then kept travelling together. Eventually, we made it through some woods to a small, rural village… but it looked ravaged! The huts were all damaged, fields for growing food were torn up and the fences of stone were damaged and some parts were knocked over! "Uh-oh…" Yuri said. Hudiemon looked shocked when she saw it and said: "No! What happened?!" "Let's look for survivors! We can gather information from them!" I said.

We then went door-to-door, healing the Digimon we saw and offering them what help we could, until we came to one hut and Hudiemon knocked before a Digimon answered it: it was a small, cute, bee-like Digimon… it had a yellow-orange body, brown stripes, three legs, four clear wings, two blue antennae and three silver barbs around its backside, complete with a silver stinger. It looked 1'5 tall. Yet when the Digimon saw Hudiemon, it said: "Hudiemon?! Is that really you?!" and Hudiemon said: "FanBeemon! I'm so happy to see you're safe!"

And then she hugged him before FanBeemon said: "I'm glad you're alright too… knowing you, you've probably been on the road this whole time, haven't you?!" and Hudiemon grinned and said: "That's right! You know me: I can't stay in one place for long!" and then she giggled as FanBeemon said: "Yup, that sums you up perfectly…" and then he went on: "But what's this? Are those… humans?!" and Hudiemon said: "Yup! That's right! They're my partners from Hudie that I told you about."

FanBeemon then flew up to us and said: "Oh that's great! As you've already heard from Hudiemon, my name's FanBeemon! Thank you so much for looking out for Hudiemon." We all then smiled and I said: "We're happy to! She's an essential part of the team and we enjoy getting to work with her." FanBeemon smiled as Hudiemon then said: "But FanBeemon…" and then he turned to her and said: "Yes?" "What happened to your village?! How did it get so ravaged?" Hudiemon asked.

"Ah yes, about that… we were very unlucky indeed. We were attacked by Lilithmon of the Seven Deadly Digimon! She passed through and started attacking everyone and everything with her magic… she was so strong and so dangerous… she damaged everything and then left." FanBeemon said. "Did you happen to see Lilithmon when she was attacking?" I asked. "I only managed to see her briefly through the window, but I did catch a glimpse of her… she didn't look like she was enjoying herself though… her eyes were half-open and she was moving around slowly." FanBeemon said. "Do you remember anything else?" I asked. "Umm… I think she was muttering something like: 'Master… come back…' it didn't make any sense to me…" FanBeemon said.

Then he went on: "But we're really nervous right now… we're worried that she may come back, possibly with other Deadly Digimon…" and then I said: "Not a problem. We'll find her and stop her from launching any more attacks." FanBeemon's head then shot up and he said: "Really?! You might want to think twice on that though… she's really strong." "We'll be fine! With this many people on our side, how can we lose?!" Hudiemon asked.

FanBeemon then smiled and said: "Well okay… but be careful, you guys! The good news is that you won't be the only ones looking for her—some other bounty hunter Digimon will be going after her too!" I suddenly felt uneasy when I heard this… "Do you know what direction she went in when she left your village?" I asked. "She went up the outskirts on the upper-left side of town. If you go through those, you should catch up to her quickly." FanBeemon said. "I see. Thank you, you've been very helpful." I said back. "No problem! I should be thanking you for being willing to protect us from Lilithmon! Just make sure you're careful as you go! Good luck, Hudie!" FanBeemon said.

We all then smiled and we thanked FanBeemon before we left his hut. As soon as we left the residential area, I then said: "Everyone, if you don't mind, I have a request I'd like to make—" and then Chitose said: "You don't have to tell us twice. You want us to leave right now to look for Lilithmon, right?" I smiled and said: "You know me too well, I see. Well yes, that was exactly it—I'm worried about what may happen if one of those bounty hunters FanBeemon mentioned were to find her first… that's why I'm so anxious… we can't afford to waste any time." "No problem! We did promise you we'd help, after all! Besides, you're the leader! What you say goes!" Yuri said.

I then smiled and said: "Thanks everyone… alright, now let's get going! Lilithmon awaits!" and we all ran off to the outskirts of town that FanBeemon had mentioned.


	62. Simon: Mother and son

Simon Chapter 33—Mother and son—

We kept exploring our way through the terrain until nightfall when we came up on our destination at last: the ruins! There was damaged architecture all around, although the air in the ruins was wispy… it looked like currents of green and blue data were flying by, almost like light from an aurora on the wind…

"Wow… this place is so majestic! What a beautiful place to explore!" Nokia said. "It is beautiful… but we shouldn't forget our mission. Alphamon has to be here somewhere." Yuugo said. "It looks pretty vast though… how are we going to locate one Digimon in these ruins?" Yuuko asked. "Why don't we split up? We can all investigate separate parts of the ruins and if one of us finds Alphamon, we can send a text message to everyone else indicating we're at the right spot." Arata said.

"Good idea! I'll explore the upper part of the ruins. You all can work out the rest from there." I said. "Heh-heh… alright. I guess I'll take the right side." Arata said. He then turned to Yuugo and said: "Do you want to come with me, Yuugo? For old times' sake?" Yuugo then grinned and said: "That sounds fun! Alright, let's do it, Arata!" and he went over to Arata as Yuuko frowned and looked at Arata before she said: "Just make sure you're careful with him, Arata… as long as you're going with him, I expect you to protect him with all you've got, is that clear?" "Absolutely. Don't worry—he's my old friend and I won't let him down!" Arata said. Yuuko then grinned and said: "Good."

Then she turned to Nokia and said: "Do you want to search the left side with me?" "Sounds good! We can catch up and have a little girl-talk on our way." Nokia said. "Alright, so I guess that only leaves the question of what Fei's Digimon are going to do…" I said and then TigerVespamon said: "Let us come with you, Simon! It'll be our apology for attacking you." I smiled and said: "You don't need to apologize for anything, but I still think it's a good idea. It'll help to have all of you along." Fei's Digimon then stood beside me as I went on: "Anyway, now that we've got our plan, it's time to go, team! Break!" and we all set off to our designated part of the ruins.

It was relatively quiet going through the ruins… finally, Hououmon said: "Boy, it sure is quiet around here! This isn't what I was expecting at all…" and then Sakuyamon said: "Yes… I didn't expect it to be so deserted…" "It is almost eerie how uninhabited this place is… I guess that goes with the territory of it being ruins, but still…" I said. Then I went on: "Have you been in many places like this before, Hououmon, Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon? It sounds like you haven't…" "Well yes, you are correct… ruins aren't common in the Digital World and we spent a lot of time in places that were closer to us." Sakuyamon said. "That and we only had so much time before we succumbed to CHAI Disorder… that also had an effect on our ability to explore." TigerVespamon said.

"Yeah… I'm sorry. I can't imagine that was an easy thing to go through…" I said. "It really wasn't… we all miss Fei, but at least things are looking up now that humans are slipping into the Digital World." Hououmon said. "I really want to see Fei again… she was a bit blunt in how she dealt with people—and even us, sometimes—but she was still a great tamer, and very reliable." TigerVespamon said. "I know you'll see her again. You think Fei's going to be able to stay away from the Digital World when she hears she can get into it?" I asked.

Hououmon, Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon all then smiled and TigerVespamon said: "Thanks, Simon… you're a really kind person and I'm glad we encountered you. And your Digimon certainly should be too." I then smiled and said: "Thank you, TigerVespamon. I'm glad I could help all of you at least—" but then Hououmon's expression suddenly turned a lot more serious and she said: "Something's coming!"

Sakuyamon, TigerVespamon and I all then immediately turned around to see three Digimon… one was a Devimon, one was a BlackGatomon and one was an Infermon! As soon as they saw us, they came up to us and Hououmon, Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon stood their ground as the Devimon said: "Heh-heh… I didn't think I'd see a human here. What are you doing here?" "We're looking for an old friend here." I replied.

"A friend? Who might that be?" BlackGatomon asked. "The Royal Knight, Alphamon. Have you seen her?" I asked. "Alphamon huh? Heh heh… why would we want to tell you that?" Infermon asked. "Hmph… fine. Excuse us then—" I said as I stepped forward and then Devimon also took a step towards me and said: "Heh-heh… what made you think we're letting you go?" "Don't be delusional! We're a lot stronger than you, or haven't you noticed?" TigerVespamon said. Devimon then looked up at her and said: "Are these chicks your Digimon or something? Tch… they're an interesting combination—"

But before he could say anything more, we heard a: "Argghh… Urrr…" and then Devimon, BlackGatomon and Infermon all turned their heads to the right and they suddenly looked panicked as Infermon said: "Oh man… this is bad!" and then the next thing we heard was a: "Blade of the dragon king!" And then Alphamon ran in and slashed at them with her sword, thoroughly clobbering them! They were all knocked down and just as quickly got up and ran away!

Hououmon, Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon all exchanged glances before I said: "Alphamon…?" and then she turned her head to me and said: "Si…mon…?" and then she looked up and said: "Uwah…" and I shook my head as I said: "No… not you too!" and Alphamon held her head before she stretched out and said: "Raaauugggh!" and then she drew her sword once again and then rushed at me as she said: "Blade of the dragon king!"

I quickly tried to call my Digimon out, but what happened next was a surprise: TigerVespamon leapt over my head and came down before she held up both of her lances, stopping Alphamon's swing! Alphamon then pushed down even harder (just as TigerVespamon pushed against Alphamon harder) and then Hououmon said: "Power energy 3!" while Sakuyamon said: "Holy light 3!" and Hououmon caused an explosion of gray energy to envelop Alphamon and Sakuyamon made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Alphamon was! This made Alphamon recoil and I took advantage of the opportunity to call out Daisy, Sabrina and Arthur before TigerVespamon threw Alphamon off, then flew in and said: "Victory stinger mark 5!" and thrust her lances at Alphamon too fast for my eye to follow before she hastily flew back to us.

My Digimon then took the frontlines as I said: "Hououmon, Sakuyamon, TigerVespamon… thanks. You all really saved me back there." Hououmon, Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon then smiled and TigerVespamon said: "It's all in a day's work!"

I then said: "Daisy, give everyone a boost! Mental charge field! Arthur, follow through with guard charge field! Sabrina, use holy light 3!" and then Daisy said: "Mental charge field!" and cast a spell that boosted her, Arthur's and Sabrina's damage output with magic attacks, as well as their damage resistance to magic attacks. Arthur then said: "Guard charge field!" and he boosted everyone's damage resistance to non-magic attacks. Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and she made a shining, exploding cross of light appear where Alphamon was! Alphamon then said: "Character reversal!" and ran at Daisy before she punched her!

And then Alphamon immediately followed up and said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and slashed at Daisy six times with her sword! Daisy took it hard, but managed to recover and then Hououmon, Sakuyamon and TigerVespamon came running in and TigerVespamon said: "If she keeps bugging your Digimon, you're going to be in a tough spot! Let us help!" and then she went on: "Status barrier!" and made a purple barrier appear in front of Sabrina that protected her from status conditions or having her attributes reduced! Now that was handy! Sakuyamon then said: "Status barrier!" and made a purple barrier appear in front of Arthur. Hououmon then said: "Status barrier!" and made a purple barrier appear in front of Daisy. I then said: "Sabrina, get rid of that bug status condition! Use restore! Daisy, use aguichant levres! Arthur, use judgement of the blade!" and Sabrina said: "Restore!" and removed the bug status condition from Daisy! Daisy then said: "Aguichant levres!" and blew a laser at Alphamon that looked like it worked pretty well! Arthur then flew in and said: "Judgement of the blade!" and slashed at Alphamon five times!

Alphamon then ran up to Sakuyamon and said: "Character reversal!" before I said: "Not so fast! Sabrina, use status barrier on Sakuyamon!" and Sabrina said: "Status barrier!" and brought up a purple barrier in front of Sakuyamon right before Alphamon punched her so she didn't get bugged! After Sakuyamon basically shrugged the attack off, Alphamon backed away and Sakuyamon turned to us and said: "Thanks!" and then TigerVespamon flew up to Alphamon and said: "Victory stinger mark 5!" and thrust her lances at Alphamon amazingly fast again before flying back. Sakuyamon and Hououmon then attacked with holy light 3 and power energy 3 before Daisy said: "Aguichant levres!" and blew a laser at Alphamon again before Arthur said: "Judgement of the blade!" and he slashed at her five times again.

Alphamon then said: "Mental charge field!" and cast a spell on herself that boosted her damage output with magic attacks and her damage resistance to magic attacks! Sakuyamon then said: "Amethyst mandala!" and she swung her staff around before a magic circle formed on the ground beneath her and flower petals went flying into the air as a dome of energy formed around her and shot outward! Alphamon recoiled from the attack and then grunted, no doubt from losing her stat boosts! "Excellent work, Sakuyamon!" I said. She then chuckled and Hououmon attacked with power energy 3 before TigerVespamon attacked with victory stinger mark 5. I then had Daisy attack with Aguichant levres, Sabrina attack with holy light 3 and Arthur attack with judgement of the blade again.

Alphamon then said: "Blade of the dragon king!" and ran up to TigerVespamon—but TigerVespamon assumed a defensive position before Alphamon arrived and managed to take the attack fairy well as a result! Sakuyamon and Hououmon then used holy light 3 and power energy 3 while I said: "Daisy, Arthur! Keep the boosts active! Mental charge field and guard charge field!" and they recast the fields to reset the duration that they were active for and boosted their effectiveness even further! Sabrina then said: "Holy light 3!" and attacked Alphamon with it.

Alphamon kept trying, but couldn't break through our defense. We kept attacking Alphamon until eventually she fell into a kneeling position and I saw purple energy form around her head before it went flying at the sky. I then ran up to her and said: "Alphamon! Snap out of it!" and Alphamon said: "Ugh…" before she looked up, but when she did, she looked shocked and said: "Simon…?! You… you really returned?!"

"Yup! The dimensional barrier became damaged enough so that I could come back! And it's not just me—Nokia, Arata, Yuuko and Yuugo are here too!" I said. Alphamon then smiled and said: "Ahahaha… so the entire team has returned, have they? That's wonderful." and then she went on: "But I can't remember anything that's happened for a long time… Simon, please tell me everything."

"Well I eventually got a spoofed facetime request from Magnamon that said it was from Nokia and he said he wanted me and the others to come to the Digital World. When we arrived, he greeted us all and told us about a new phenomenon that's happened that the Digimon have named 'CHAI Disorder' where Digimon who have bonded with a human go insane from feeling sad and start attacking other Digimon indiscriminately, but they get healed if they lose in a battle—he even said you gave him some notes that explained what you discovered, Alphamon!" I said. Alphamon then grinned and said: "Yes, I had been working hard to try and find a way to save our world from this disaster. It reminds me of my cyber sleuth days when I was still Kyoko Kuremi… although it helped a lot when I had an assistant to help me back in those days."

Then we both smiled and Alphamon said: "So what happened next?" "Well, Magnamon explained CHAI Disorder the best he could and then eventually asked us to find you, so we came to these ruins and…" I began, but then I stopped. I couldn't bring myself to tell Alphamon that she had attacked me… finally, Alphamon chuckled sadly and said: "I see you're reluctant to continue your story… but it's alright. I know you Simon, and I understand your merciful heart… that's why you don't need to say anything. I came here looking for answers originally, but… it's obvious that I fell prey to CHAI Disorder and lashed out at you…" "Alphamon…" I said.

But then what happened next surprised me: I saw a tear fall from one of her eyes! "Alphamon?! Are you… crying?!" I asked. She nodded before she said: "To think that I attacked you, after all we've been through… I know I wasn't in my right mind, but… I still feel ashamed." I then shook my head and said: "You can't be that unfair to yourself! It's only because of your CHAI Disorder that you did it! You'd never do that if you were in your right mind and that has to be worth something!"

Alphamon smiled a little before her expression returned to looking sad and she said: "That's just like you… but even so, I don't think you understand what doing that means to me… even if it wasn't my fault." She then went on: "It's interesting observing humans and Digimon: they both have things in common, but in different ways… one such example is that they both reproduce, but humans reproduce by giving birth to their children while Digimon lay Digieggs…"

She then went on: "I… I've never laid a Digiegg and made a baby Digimon before… but you were the closest thing I ever had to a son, Simon. Even though I am a Digimon and you are a human, I see you very much in the same way. That's why it's so painful to me to know I attacked you… it's like the anguish of being a mother who hit her son… I feel so ashamed."

I then smiled and said: "That is a very high compliment coming from you and I appreciate it very much. But you mustn't see things that way, Alphamon. All that's been proven here is the maternal love you feel for me. And let's face it—if the worst you can do is done involuntarily while you do so many kind, wonderful things when you're in your right mind, that proves how amazing you are… and demonstrates the overwhelmingly powerful good in your heart."

And then I went on: "So enough with the long face. You need to get up and set a better example… mom." Alphamon then smiled and said: "I am honored that you would call me that, even if it is in a joking way…" and then she went on: "…But to have been taught by you how to be strong in relationships… it's actually a very gratifying feeling. This must be what it's like for a real parent…" and then she smiled widely before she said: "But you're absolutely right! I shouldn't be moping at a time like this! Come on, my boy—let's get back to the others and I'll bring you up to speed with what I've discovered!" I then smiled and said: "That's better! Alright, then I'll contact them right now."

And I texted everyone, telling them I had found Alphamon and that they should come to where I am on the map. Alphamon and I talked a little more before Arata and Yuugo soon showed up! When they saw us, Yuugo said: "Great work, Simon! You managed to find Alphamon!" and Arata said: "And Alphamon… long time, no see. I hope you've been okay." "Things are getting better." Alphamon answered. Arata and Yuugo suddenly looked confused before Alphamon chuckled and said: "I'll let you know what I mean when Nokia and Yuuko arrive—Simon's told me that they're coming too."

It didn't take long before Nokia and Yuuko came up and then Nokia said: "Alphamon! It's good to see you again!" Alphamon smiled and nodded before Yuuko said: "Well, it looks like we're all here… would you mind bringing us up to speed with what's happened, Alphamon?" "Not at all, Yuuko. Since Simon has told me that Magnamon has already told you what CHAI Disorder is from my notes, I'll skip some of the details. Anyways, as I told Simon, once CHAI Disorder started occurring in our world, I began to research what the cause was, its treatment, its effects… everything. I came to these ruins, hoping to find some more clues, but it wasn't long before I fell prey to CHAI Disorder myself… I'm lucky Simon freed me from it." Alphamon said.

Then she went on: "Anyway—from what Simon has told me—it sounds like there isn't very much left about CHAI Disorder that you don't understand. Is there anything I can clear up for you?" "Well there was one thing that Magnamon couldn't answer Alphamon…" I said and then she turned to me as I went on: "Magnamon already told us that the dimensional barrier had been damaged and that was how we could get here, but… he never identified a cause for it. He couldn't answer me when I asked him how the dimensional barrier had been damaged in the first place. Do you know how it happened, Alphamon?"

"Yes, I do. That was one of a few important discoveries I made before I acquired CHAI Disorder." Alphamon said. "And? How did it get damaged, then?" Nokia asked. "The answer lies in how CHAI Disorder is treated… as you know, whenever a Digimon with CHAI Disorder is defeated in battle, they return to their senses. However—before they do—something amazing happens: when a Digimon is cured of CHAI Disorder, they begin to feel at peace and that causes the built-up feelings of despair, grief and pain to become discarded from them. The emotions take form in a cluster of purple data and it is sent away—" Alphamon began, but I thought back as I heard this… in a cluster of purple data… like the purple energy that had appeared around her head! But then Yuuko said: "It's sent away? To where?"

"To the dimensional barrier. Somehow, it finds its way there and attacks the barrier, damaging it. Naturally, the data itself isn't enough to destroy the entire barrier, but each cluster of data that is sent there damages it, bit by bit. Because so many Digimon have fallen victim to CHAI Disorder time and time again, enough data has been sent to the barrier so that even though a small amount is broken down each time, a lot of damage has been dealt over time." Alphamon said. "I see… that's really incredible." Yuugo said.

Alphamon nodded and said: "I agree. To think the data automatically knows exactly where to go in order to damage the dimensional barrier that is causing the Digimon it came from so much pain… it's truly incredible. The data from a Digimon cured of CHAI Disorder is almost like a new form of mental data we don't know much about yet, and it all came from this set of events… how fascinating. It will be incredible to study."

"But that's very important information! That means that it's inevitable that the dimensional barrier will be destroyed and the Digimon won't have to suffer anymore! Since Digimon can be afflicted with CHAI Disorder over and over again, that means that they'll keep being afflicted until enough data has been sent to the dimensional barrier to destroy it completely! And when that happens, Earth and the Digital World will be reconnected and the conditions that make it possible for CHAI Disorder to exist will be a thing of the past!" Arata said. "Yes… it's exactly as you say: it's a self-fulfilling prophecy that the dimensional barrier that King Drasil rebuilt will eventually be destroyed. The Digital World can no longer be at peace if it exists." Alphamon said.

"Then we need to work together to cure as many Digimon of CHAI Disorder as possible! For the good of the Digital World!" Nokia said. "Yes… I believe that is a necessary step also, but… I want to meet with King Drasil to explain this. When I do, I think as long as I explain it to him the right way that the barrier's destruction is inevitable and there's nothing he can do to stop it, he may change his mind and destroy it outright. That would speed up the process and help the Digimon a great deal. So let's go back and help some Digimon along the way!" Alphamon said. "I'm with you, Alphamon! Let's go, team!" I said. We all then smiled and began to retrace our steps, back to where we had re-entered the Digital World… back to the pit where we had met with Magnamon.


	63. Keisuke: Reconnected

Keisuke Chapter 30–Reconnected—

We continued going in the direction FanBeemon had specified until we came up to some woods. As we approached them, we saw a large group of Digimon assembled in front! We all stopped when we saw it… "Huh… how weird. What's going on over there…?" Chitose asked. "FanBeemon did mention that there would be bounty hunters… maybe they're all assembling before the hunt?" Hudiemon asked. "In that case, we made it just in time! We'd better get in with the crowd!" I said.

Everyone else then nodded and we all went up to the assembled crowd. As we approached them, we saw a small Digimon addressing them on a stand… it was a small, four-legged Digimon that had a white underbelly and a light brown upper body with two wing-like ears. It also had a stubby tail and looked 1'6 tall. We heard it saying: "…Thank you for coming, bounty hunters, volunteers and all! We all appreciate your courage and bravery in hunting down the Deadly Digimon, Lilithmon—"

But then we were close enough so he spotted us and he said: "Hmm?! Humans?! What are you doing here?" and the rest of the crowd turned around as I said: "We're the hacker team known as Hudie. We came because we wanted to help stop Lilithmon." "Well sure! This is a dangerous mission and we could use all the help we can get! Welcome aboard, Hudie! I'm a Digimon speaking on behalf of the sponsors, Patamon!" the Digimon said.

Patamon then turned back to the group and said: "Now then—as I was saying—we are grateful to all of you for being willing to take part in this dangerous headhunt. Lilithmon has been spotted inside these woods, so you will find her somewhere within. She is a very dangerous, evil Digimon, so exercise extreme caution! Once she has been captured, the victorious party should return here to claim their reward! Once Lilithmon has been captured, I will set off some fireworks to let you all know that the hunt is over. And other than that, that's it! Good luck and be careful!"

And then we sprinted forward, as did all of the other Digimon. It wasn't a good thing that we had all these competitors—we have to find Lilithmon fast, before anyone else does! I knew there had to be a better way to do this than just making a mad dash and hoping we'd find her, and then I thought of something… we then rushed through the woods until we came to an open spot with no Digimon around and I stopped and brought up a screen of data and started using my phone.

"Keisuke, what are you doing?!" Ryuji asked. "Since we know this is my Lilithmon we're talking about, I want to try something to see if I can create a radar that can find her…" I said. "What? How are you planning to do that?" Yuri asked. Since the Digital World was digital, I tried hacking the nearby space and syncing my phone to it to detect Lilithmon's signal (which it knew how to find, from her being saved inside it)… and eventually, I succeeded!

"ALRIGHT! I knew it was possible!" I said. "What was possible?" Yu asked. "I've created a radar that has the power to sense Lilithmon. If we follow it, we'll get to her first!" I said. "That's amazing! Way to go, Keisuke!" Hudiemon said. I then smiled before Yuri said: "Okay… so where does it say Lilithmon is?" I then turned diagonally up and to my left as I said: "That way! Now let's move!" and everyone nodded as we followed my radar.

We all then hurried off and followed the radar. As we got closer to the northern part of the woods, my radar was indicating we were closing in on Lilithmon! "Alright! We don't have far to go now!" I said. "That's great! Lilithmon, here we come!" Hudiemon said. But then Ryuji suddenly stopped… we all then turned around and saw he was looking behind us…

"Ryuji?" Chitose said. "Something's wrong…" Ryuji said. We all then looked around and suddenly we heard him say: "Oh sh—DUCK!" and we all did so… before we saw energy blasts go flying above our heads! "What was THAT?" Yu asked. "Come on out! We know you're there now!" Ryuji said. We then heard a growl before we heard a: "Hmph. You've done well…" and then three Digimon stepped through the brush behind us!

One was a lion-like Digimon that walked on two legs. It wore black pants, had a black-and-maroon jacket bound around its shoulders and was bare-chested. It had a sword in one hand and a rose in its mouth. It had enormous muscles, along with a gray mane. It looked 7'6 tall. Another one was a Plesiomon (like mine) and the last was a gigantic, dinosaur-like Digimon clad in metal… it walked on two legs and had two arms ending with metallic claws. It had cannons on its back and had a dinosaur-like head. It looked 16 feet tall.

"What…? Who are you?!" Yu asked. The lion-like Digimon then answered: "My name is BanchoLeomon. These are my teammates, Plesiomon…" as he pointed at the Plesiomon and then went on: "…And Machinedramon." As he pointed to the mechanical Digimon. "Well aren't you bounty hunters here? So don't you have better things to do than stalking people?" Yuri asked. BanchoLeomon then frowned and said: "I heard what you said at the entrance… you're in cahoots with Lilithmon, aren't you?"

"Is that what you think this is…? Well sorry to tell you buddy, but you're confused. The Lilithmon that everybody's hunting here isn't Lilithmon of the Deadly Digimon… she's my partner. I raised her and she's a wonderful Digimon. I came here to save her from the thugs like you who want to hurt her!" I said. "You claim to have raised that Digimon, you say…?" BanchoLeomon asked before he went on: "If that's true, then you're even more evil than she is. That Digimon rampages and destroys things! She needs to be stopped!" "No! She's not doing it voluntarily! She never would!" I said.

"Then perhaps you can prove your claim and explain what it is she's doing then?" Machinedramon asked. "Well you know Digimon are losing their minds and attacking others in the Digital World! She must be one of them!" I said. "Must be? You mean you don't know?" Plesiomon asked before BanchoLeomon said: "I've heard enough. Even if we aren't the ones to slay that demon, it's good enough that someone else can while we stop you here." And then he said: "Plesiomon, Machinedramon, attack!" "Argh! This is bad… if we fight them, someone else will get to Lilithmon first…!" Chitose said, but then we heard a: "Silent bullet!" which was then followed by a "Divine pierce!" and something suddenly shot BanchoLeomon's group and a beam of electrically charged light blasted BanchoLeomon!

We then turned around and saw it: Ciel and Blanc—the ones from the training gym—then leapt out of the trees and in between us and BanchoLeomon's group! Before I could say anything though, Ciel and Blanc then said: "They were born in the Digital World! Since they were born, it was them against the world, yet they somehow survived. Very soon, we became wise and highly skilled! We are the Sistermon sisters! The Sistermon sisters—" and then BanchoLeomon stomped his foot down and yelled: "Cut the act!" he then looked truly annoyed as he went on: "What is the meaning of this?! You mean to interfere?!" and then Blanc said: "Look who's talking! Don't be such a meanie!" and Ciel then nodded before she said: "BanchoLeomon… this fight that you're trying to start is completely pointless. We've met the Digimon this tamer told you about and he speaks the truth—she is a sweet, loyal Digimon and would never harm someone indiscriminately. You should stop… your power can be used for greater things than breaking hearts."

I then smiled as BanchoLeomon looked furious and said: "You expect me to believe you just like that?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Ciel then shook her head and said: "Hmph. That's your problem… you're closed-minded. You form an opinion of resentment based on incomplete conjecture and go off attacking others over it without listening to anyone else who has a different point of view. You accused Keisuke of not being able to prove Lilithmon's innocence, but you can't even prove why it is you should hunt her down either, can you? You don't need proof—you just need a scapegoat!" BanchoLeomon was leering at Ciel now and he said: "What, are the wounded Digimon and destroyed homes not proof enough for you? But—more so—do you children really think you're in a position to lecture me?"

And then Blanc grinned and said: "Is that what you think…? Ohhh, right! We aren't in our fully digivolved forms yet!" and then she turned to Ciel and said: "Shall we?" and Ciel grinned and nodded before they entered their awake forms! "Gah…" BanchoLeomon said before Ciel said: "And you underestimate your opponents too… another piece of evidence that you're the type to jump to conclusions preemptively." BanchoLeomon then growled before he said: "What do you think this is accomplishing? You'll never defeat us on your own!"

"Maybe not… but that's not what's important." Ciel said. BanchoLeomon then said: "Hmm…?" and Ciel went on: "It's just as you say: we won't win. But we are the Sistermon sisters, the evangelists of love! It would be wrong for us to turn a blind eye to a tamer who loves his Digimon as dearly as Keisuke loves his Lilithmon! As long as we can keep that bond alive… that's enough." "Hmph. To think you would be willing to risk your lives just to help a tamer who loves his Digimon that much…" BanchoLeomon said before he went on: "Fine. I'll give you one chance. I'll let you go and find your Lilithmon—" before we all cheered and I said: "Great work, Ciel and Blanc!" before BanchoLeomon said: "On one condition!" And we all turned to him as he said: "I want you to allow us to accompany you to this Digimon of yours. I want to see if what you have to say is true for myself." "Fine. Then let's go!" I said back.

And then we all ran ahead (with Ciel, Blanc and BanchoLeomon's team following) until we came to a grassy clearing… and Lilithmon was lying on the ground!

"No! Where we too late?!" Yu asked. "I don't think so… remember, the fireworks would have been set off if that were the case… and besides, didn't Patamon say they had to 'capture' her? Wouldn't that imply she'd have to be forcibly moved?" Yuri asked. We all then knelt down in the grass and watched what was happening and soon we saw it: Lilithmon was only asleep and seemingly locked in a dream… she was tossing about in her sleep, groaning and looked distressed… we then heard her say: "Ungh… I… want… master… back…" and then Hudiemon grinned as she said to me: "How sweet. You're even in her dreams—"

But I had seen enough. I stood up and walked up to Lilithmon as I knelt down by her and put one hand behind her back and the other behind her head as I smiled and said: "Come on sleepyhead, wake up. This isn't a time for you to be taking a nap, this is a time for us to be celebrating! We're all back together again! So open your eyes and come back to us, Lilithmon. We're happy to see you." She continued to groan for a few seconds, but then she finally opened her eyes and when she did, she smiled widely and said: "Master… you're back!"

I thought I saw some purple-colored energy form around her head before it disappeared and then she reached over and hugged me (and with a great deal of strength more than I thought she could muster) before she said: "Master… you came back. I'm so happy!" and I said: "Of course. You really thought it was going to end like that?" Lilithmon then let go before she said: "I'm sorry, master. I was such a fool for doubting your return—" before I said: "HEY, Lilithmon—everyone was worried and sitting on pins and needles with concern over when we'd get to see each other again. There's not a single person here—human or Digimon—who wouldn't understand how you felt." And Ryuji, Chitose, Yuri, Yu and Hudiemon all nodded.

Lilithmon and I then stood and Lilithmon said: "Thank you, master. But I still have to wonder… how did you get back here?" "Hudiemon became aware that there were enough cracks in the dimensional barrier to allow five humans passage through at once and when she did, she contacted me and got me to arrange a time where she could talk to all of us and work out some details so she could give us the URL to the Digital World so we could come here." I said.

Lilithmon then smiled before she said: "That's perfect. I just wish I could have held out until that happened…" and then Hudiemon flew up to Lilithmon and said: "But at least you got to reunite with Keisuke in the end! I'm sorry—I should have let Keisuke through earlier. If I would have, maybe I could have prevented all of this that you had to go through—" and then Lilithmon shook her head before she said: "No. All I care about is that I got to see master again. And I owe you a great deal of credit, Hudiemon—if you hadn't given master access to the Digital World, I never would have seen him again. I owe you a lot for that… thank you."

Hudiemon then smiled and said: "You're so nice, Lilithmon… especially after all you had to go through—" and then I rolled my eyes and said: "Well as long as you can't agree about who owes who more, why don't you just call it even and leave it at that?" and we all laughed together before I went on: "Seriously though, we should stay focused. There are a lot of important things to do and only so much time before we'll have to log out and come back for more later!" and then Lilithmon smiled and said: "You're right about that, master—we have a lot to do! So let's get started on our next adventure!" And we all smiled before Ciel and Blanc came up to me and Ciel said: "And it looks like you finally reunited with your precious partner. Congratulations, Keisuke."

I then smiled and said: "Ciel, Blanc, when this is over, I owe you both a special reward." Ciel then chuckled and said: "Well I always wanted my own sushi bar…" and then Blanc said: "Yeah! And I want a meat buffet for mine!" I then laughed and said: "I'd say that sounds doable." And then I turned to BanchoLeomon and said: "And how about you, BanchoLeomon, Plesiomon and Machinedramon? Do you want to join in?"

And then they all looked shocked before BanchoLeomon said: "WHAT? Have you forgotten that we almost stalled you out and kept you from reuniting with your partner?!" "That's true… but you also listened to what we had to say and gave us a chance, thereby letting us through and making it possible for us to reach Lilithmon." I said.

BanchoLeomon then grinned a little and said: "Heh-heh… what strange, yet kind, generous creatures you humans are… very well, then. As long as you're offering, we won't refuse." "Great! Then it looks like we'll be having a feast when this is all over!" I said. And we all cheered before I turned to Ciel and Blanc and said: "Can you handle contacting BanchoLeomon when the time comes? If you post a case to the BBS, we'll take it and serve up a well-deserved reward!" "Sure! I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll bring!" Blanc said. "Well, as long as I'm fraternizing with what the bounty hunters consider to be the enemy, I'd better get out of here. See you around, Sistermon sisters, Hudie…" BanchoLeomon said. And then they ran off. Ciel then said: "We'd better go too. Bye Keisuke! Keep taking good care of Lilithmon!" "I will. Count on it!" I said. Ciel and Blanc then ran off.

"We'd better get going too. It wouldn't be good if we were seen…" Yuri said. "I agree. First thing's first though: we'd better hide Lilithmon." I said before I turned to Lilithmon and said: "Would you mind going back in my phone for now, Lilithmon? Given the circumstances?" Not at all, master!" Lilithmon said. I then called her back to my phone—she was saved to it after all. We then left the woods!

Eventually, we went off across the woods, as excited as could be about the journey ahead! Soon though, we were in for a surprise—we bumped into Simon, Nokia, Arata, Yuugo and Yuuko! There were also three Digimon with them… one was a giant yellow bird Digimon with a gray underbelly. It had gray talons with gold shackle-like rings around them and had an orange mask over its face. It had feathers behind its head that were yellow, but then turned red and finally purple as they got further away from the back of its head (there were also feathers down its back of the same colors). It had four massive yellow wings and very long yellow and red tail feathers. It looked 7'2 tall. Another one was a humanoid Digimon that walked on two legs. She had a full-body black suit on and had yellow, lightweight-looking armor over her chest, as well as yellow rounded shoulder armor that looked huge. She had a black belt with a yellow belt buckle that looked like a fox's head, as well as purple long gloves and purple boots with yin yang symbols over her toes. She had a yellow helmet over her head that covered her eyes and looked like a fox's head (and her face had skin that looked like real human skin). She had very long white hair that was bound into two ponytails that went down to her ankles. She held a gold staff with a ring at the top and had what looked like yellow fairy wings on her back, although they were down and weren't moving. She looked 5'7 tall. The last one looked about 9'6 tall and was colored like a wasp, yet walked on two legs and had two arms. It carried two bright blue lances in its hands and wore a red scarf around its neck. I thought I recognized these Digimon from somewhere, but then I remembered: they were Fei's Digimon!

They then turned around and when Simon saw us, he said: "Oh! Hey everybody! I didn't know other people had made it here!" "Yeah, well I can assure you that I'm just as surprised to see you all here! What are you doing here, Simon?" I asked.

Simon then explained it for a while… apparently, he and his friends had been called by the Royal Knights. He also apparently knew what was making the Digimon lose their minds and fight each other… a condition known as 'CHAI Disorder'. He also said that the way it was treated was what had been breaking down the dimensional barrier and making it possible for humans to enter the Digital World again. He said it was only a matter of time before the dimensional barrier would be destroyed again and this state of affairs would all go away. By the end, I was really excited!

"Aw, that's great! We should spread the word that the Digital World is accessible so tamers can reunite with their partners and get CHAI Disorder cured even faster!" I said. "Yes, I think that may be for the best. Even so though, it might be best for us to ask Alphamon…" Simon began and then I said: "Alphamon? That giant Digimon in the black armor?" "The very same." Simon replied. He then looked up and said: "Isn't that right, Alphamon?"

And then we all whirled around to see her behind us! "Whoa! You sure know how to sneak up on someone!" Yu said. Simon, Nokia, Arata, Yuugo, Yuuko and Alphamon all laughed before Alphamon said: "Stealth is an unexpectedly valuable skill." And then she went on: "Well, welcome back to the Digital World—it's good to see more humans here." "Thank you. We're lucky to be here!" Chitose said.

Simon then said: "So what did King Drasil say, Alphamon?" and then Alphamon smiled and said: "We are in luck—it took me a while, but I finally persuaded him to destroy the dimensional barrier on his own—" and then we all celebrated before Nokia said: "ALRIGHT! Now CHAI Disorder can become a thing of the past and all the Digimon can be happy again!" and Alphamon smiled and said: "Yes. He also had a message for all of you…"

And then Ryuji said: "A message? What was that?" "It was this: 'You are worthy. I grant your species free passage to and from the Digital World. In order to facilitate the healing of the Digimon living in the Digital World, I ask you to spread the word that the Digital World is open to the hackers of Earth… even by giving out the URLs you have acquired. Thank you, humans. Continue to help my Digimon.'… that was what he had to say." Alphamon replied.

Yuuko then grinned and said: "It looks like he's finally accepted us. That's good to see—especially for the Digimons' sake." "I don't know if he's warmed up to you that much yet, but… at least he's realized that it is more harmful to keep humans and Digimon separated from each other, rather than together. Nonetheless, I think this will be the beginning of a new and better age for everyone—both the humans and the Digimon." Alphamon said.

And then she went on: "Still, please get the tamers to come here as soon as you can—the wellbeing of the Digimon depends on it." "We will! You can count on us!" I said. Alphamon then smiled and said: "Good. Thank you so much. Also, there's one more thing I should mention—to help prove the claim that the Digital World is open to humans and to speed up the healing of CHAI Disorder, King Drasil will be sending healthy, unafflicted Digimon into Kowloon. So if anyone claims that they've seen Digimon in Kowloon, they're telling the truth. And that was all. Thank you so much, humans—we look forward to our future with you."

We all then celebrated before we adventured with our Digimon just a little more before we logged out and started spreading the word that the Digital World's doors were open to humankind. Between that and the Digimon appearing in Kowloon, it didn't take long before hackers were going to the Digital World in droves and CHAI Disorder was wiped out! And of course, we always went to the Digital World to see our precious partners. And it wasn't all good for the Digimon, either—because Digimon could come back to cyberspaces on Earth, cases were rolling in and business was booming for Hudie! Even though we weren't sure how things would go when humans and Digimon had been separated, now that our species were back together, life was better than it had ever been and our future looked brighter than ever! I don't know if it would be fully accurate to say that the lives of humans and Digimon depend on being in contact with each other in order to prosper… but we are definitely better off with our beloved partners.


End file.
